Josef Lamercier has returned following 2024’s joint EP Merci, with the intimate and ethereal single, “The Moon A Balloon.” The dreamy vocals and free-flowing melody transport listeners to another planet as Lamercier weaves connections between the past and present.
Produced by Maths Time Joy and with string arrangements by Troy Everett, “The Moon A Balloon” feels like levitation within a dreamscape. The soft but deep guitar melody lays a foundation for the song that is soon lifted by the crisp snare beat. Tenderly delivered vocals are stacked on top of one another as the strings start to pan across the song, quickly elevating the lo-fi sound of the single to nothing short of breathtaking. Decorative sounds build as the song progresses, which only add to its ethereal qualities, as if audiences are reliving memories along with Lamercier. The instrumentation of this song strikes a delicate balance between nostalgia and modernity, with audiences sitting in this dreamy place amid past and present.
A reflection on past and present is also laced in the free-flowing lyrics that connect Lamercier’s childhood experiences to his creative storytelling. The chorus’s “Hold my feelings close / If the moon was a balloon,” asks the existential question about the significance of life before diving into childhood recollections that make up the verses.
In the second verse, Lamercier draws on his upbringing as a Black American in New Orleans with the lines “All the Black kids on the block / Red and blues calling back up,” referencing the systematic racism and brutality towards black people in the police force. Moreover, the lyrics “Hope the hurricane don’t leave water lines” make note of the natural disaster that Louisiana has become far too familiar with. Lamercier collects all these memories and stacks them against one another in a vignette-like journal of life that makes the song feel imitate and immersive.
Josef Lamercier has begun his new journey as an artist with a deeply personal single with a mesmerising soundscape and alluring lyrics. “The Moon A Balloon” is another step into a enthralling new sound for Josef Lamercier and is available to stream now.
