Formed from the post-punk band The Sticky Heads, Denver’s moonpool has cemented themselves as a part of the growing grunge and shoegaze revival with their first release, “Crystalline.” Taking notes from the iconic 90s genre, the fuzzy guitars, cymbals and indistinguishable lyrics transport listeners to a brooding place of loneliness and desperation for love.
The hollow synth hook starts off the song and quickly establishes its haunting soundscape. A fuzzed-out guitar provides a counter melody to the lead synth and fulls out the space. The persistent crunched drums, relying heavily on the cymbals and crashes, ground the single and round out the lower frequencies. The crisp cymbals give a subtle contrast to the fuzziness of the guitars, which helps each of them stand out.
A common criticism of shoegaze is how distorted a song can become if the iconic guitar effects are overused. moonpool combat this by leaving the main guitar out of the verses, opting rather for an arpeggiated second synth. There is still a guitar heard, but it’s in the back of the mix with a more stable sound. This makes sure the song stays interesting enough without becoming overwhelming.
The vocal doublings and mumbling delivery make the lyrics almost impossible to understand, but this expected of the genre and style. The intention is to add to the overall atmosphere rather than be the highlight of the song. Still, sweeping statements of painful loneliness and longing for stable love can be extracted. If you’ve recently taken up to artists such as Julie, Narrow Head and Superheaven, moonpoll could be a nice addition to your rotations.
“Crystalline” is set to feature on moonpool’s debut EP Nothing Sacred, releasing on the 7th of March. You can listen to their first single off the project now wherever you find your music.
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