(Photo credit: Lo Moon)
LO MOON RELEASE SOPHOMORE ALBUM ‘A MODERN LIFE’
OUT NOW VIA STRNGR RECORDINGS/THIRTY TIGERS
+ Touring the UK with The War On Drugs in April
+ London headline show at Lafayette April 25th
Los Angeles, CA’s Lo Moon – comprised of Matt Lowell, Crisanta Baker, Sam Stewart, and Sterling Laws – have today released their highly-anticipated second album, ‘A Modern Life’ on Strngr Recordings/Thirty Tigers. Featuring the previously shared singles ‘Stop‘, ‘Raincoats‘ and ‘Dream Never Dies‘, which have picked up spins on BBC 6 Music from Chris Hawkins and Steve Lamacq, the album is also being showcased by the new offering ‘Expectations‘.
With its broad and vibrant indie-rock energy, ‘Expectations’ perfectly highlights the vast and expansive direction the group have pursued on this new full-length. Filled with a glittering arrangement and progressive drive, their newest effort makes for a transportive listen, bringing to life the rich and forward-thinking ideals we have heard from them throughout the last few months.
Speaking about ‘Expectations’, the band added, “This was the first song we worked on for this record. We knew going into this record we wanted to make a band record, as we had learned so much about playing together while touring the first record. I found myself exploring the feeling of being a teen, unafraid to chase my dreams, unaware and naive about the complexities of life, and what it feels like to struggle to live up to the expectations I have set for myself.”
Adding about the album, “At the core of ‘A Modern Life’ there is hope. I know for me, I had come out of our first album with the fear I’d let the most important people around me down and started questioning my overall path and purpose. I turned to the band, and it was clear that we all wanted to find the energy we created together live within the recordings. We dug in, explored and really found our voice while everything around us became more and more confusing and difficult. The record is our way of navigating through it, remaining hopeful despite the challenges. These songs aren’t meant to be a commentary on our lives, but a reflection of it. Each breathing and searching deeper into the human spirit, the emotions we encounter and the feeling that remains at the center of what we do.”
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO ‘EXPECTATIONS’
‘A Modern Life’ is the band’s way of navigating through struggles with identity and expectation – but at its core, remains filled with hope and a desire to stay true to oneself. Produced by the band, the album features additional co-production by Yves Rothman (Yves Tumor, Miya Folick), as well as Chris Walla, who helmed their 2017 self-titled debut.
Siphoning guitar transmissions and a dynamic vocal push-and-pull through a lens of cinematic production, Lo Moon deftly balances expansive soundscapes and eloquent songcraft, using music to make sense of each day on A Modern Life. “It’s about survival,” observes Lowell. “Navigating through all that’s thrown at us. Maintaining who we are and where we want to be. Music itself has been so powerful for us in our own survival, it can change everything in an instant. As a band, we’ve got a lot of reverence for it and strive for it. We don’t take it for granted.”
In 2016, Lo Moon materialized as a fan and critical favourite with the buzzing ‘Loveless.’ It paved the way for their 2018 self-titled full-length, Lo Moon, which NPR hailed as ’shimmering, immersive and otherworldly. As intimate as it is anthemic’. Meanwhile, Variety attested, “It possesses a rare balance of pop-inflected songwriting and dense atmospherics that hold each other in check rather than clashing.” Beyond acclaim from The New York Times, NPR, Los Angeles Times, The Sunday Times, NME, Noisey and more, Billboard named them among “10 Rock & Alternative Artists to Watch.” Between amassing over 50 million streams, the band performed alongside The War On Drugs, Glass Animals, Phoenix, and Air in addition to gracing the bills of Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, SXSW, All Points East and more. The group also made their late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! followed by The Late Late Show With James Corden.
Following a tour with CHVRCHES, the musicians entered the studio with producer Yves Rothman (Yves Tumor, Miya Folick) to record what would become the next body of work. Their old friend Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie), who co-produced their debut, eventually joined them for some of the finishing touches. The resulting album is one that combines fragility, intimacy, and vulnerability with oceanic washes of sound, doubling as a snapshot of our 21st century existential ebb and flow. “Carried Away” hinges on airy guitar as Matt anxiously confesses, “Every single day, it’s easy to get carried away.” Elsewhere, “Digging Up The Dead” pairs angelic vocals with a funeral chant, juxtaposing dark and light sonic hues.
In the end, Lo Moon might just inspire you to enjoy A Modern Life a little more. “Great art has the ability to transform, and transport, and we know how powerful that can be,” says Lowell. “We hope this record does that for you and can’t wait to play it live. That will be the moment this journey feels truly complete.’’
Lo Moon will also be supporting The War On Drugs this coming April across the UK and Europe and will play a special headline show on April 25th at London’s Lafayette.
Lo Moon UK Tour Dates
April
Mon 11th BIRMINGHAM, O2 Academy *
Tues 12th LONDON, O2 Arena *
Thurs 14th DUBLIN, 3 Arena *
Sat 16th LEEDS, First Direct Arena *
Sun 17th EDINBURGH, O2 Academy *
Mon 18th EDINBURGH, O2 Academy *
Mon 25th LONDON, Lafayette (Headline Show) – tickets on sale HERE
*w/ The War on Drugs
