Moon Ensemble are a southern California based band who recently released their self titled debut EP. The band blends psychedelic sounds with funky dance music effortlessly creating a well-polished unique sound. The six tracks that are featured each have their own identity with a wide variety of sonic textures but all fit together into one cohesive project.
The first track entitled San Benito starts out with chopped up vocals and intricate synth and guitar melodies whirring around before leading to a sort of shoegazey wall of sound that feels like you’re being hit by a wave in slow motion. The balance of dancy upbeat sections as well as interesting trippy breakdowns keeps the track exciting throughout its duration and makes for a fantastic introduction to the band’s sound. The following track Passing Time features really clean guitar tones as well as airy synthesizers and vocals making for a really nice laid back and chill song. The instrumental of this track reminds me a little bit of something Tycho would make but the vocals take it to a new level. Towards the end of the track a synth arpeggio comes to the forefront making a dreamy soundscape as the rest of the band jams along with it.
After Passing Time you come to the track Fire, which is a fun and more upbeat song. The verse of the song has an incredibly funky bass line that is later accompanied by twangy guitar slides and plucks. The vocal performance on this track is really great and includes some soothing harmonies. At the end of the track there is a soulful keyboard solo that leads to a faster section with some really catchy guitar melodies. The next track entitled Sadalyte builds into a powerful section with huge synth pads, trippy arpeggios, and clean guitar strums all accompanied by a driving drumbeat. The guitar lead that comes in right after the opening moment is fantastic and once again incredibly catchy. In each part of this song you can hear a different member of the band take the spotlight, which shows how well they work together and know how to accompany each other.
The following track 2020 is another really upbeat and dancy song that features some fun woahs and yeahs towards the beginning of the track. The guitar has some really interesting effects on it while it plays a quick melody, which changes and seems to become weirder in a good way as the track goes on which keeps it interesting. The vocals on this track are really well done and show the wide range of the vocalists.
The final track on the EP Are We Memories starts off filtered out and grows until a warm keyboard chord is hit and accompanied by an interesting synthesizer. The vocals come in and glide along nicely until a dancy drum groove is established. A distorted guitar lead is added that fits perfectly into the track making for a great close to the EP.
Check out the track San Benito below and find the full EP on Spotify.
You can get more information on the band on their Facebook.
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