Last Wednesday night, people were still clearly in shock over the results of the previous night’s election. That didn’t stop a few hundred people from attempting to get back to their regularly-scheduled programming – and on Wednesday, that was a special showcase from new Columbia Records signees LO MOON at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
LO MOON sort of reminds me of the more hushed songs from beloved electropop outfit The Naked & Famous – if they primarily featured a male lead vocalist. They also get comparisons to The XX, which is easy to hear.
At times, that vocalist Matt Lowell (who also handles lead guitar) sounds a bit like Bono in the early days of U2. Crisanta Baker provided nice depth with her background vocals. Former Nightmare & the Cat guitarist Samuel Stewart also stood out. Lowell also hopped behind the piano on a song or two during the show.
So far, only one song has been made available to the public, “Loveless”, a seven-minute long epic. This is what they closed their set with. It sort of has a Bob Moses feel to it with its down-tempo vibes and haunting vocals. The sound of the track’s breakdowns filled the depth of the room like a glove. The song is produced by former key Death Cab for Cutie member Chris Walla.
Sometime after the show, the band shared a message on their website regarding the show and the election.
“We feel so incredibly grateful that you chose to join us after such a devastating result. We all felt it, but this is how we will get through it, together with music and love. We will push on with solidarity and promise to help do our part. We will always look towards the light when darkness looms. This is only the beginning for us, but we feel the responsibility to offer beauty in times like these. We thank you for hopping on board and believing in us so early on in this journey, it means absolutely everything to us. Thank you. Let’s stick together. x”
Their brief set was a welcome respite from reality – plus an open bar certainly didn’t hurt matters. The intimate gig had LO MOON show tons of promise and we hope to catch them back in LA sooner rather than later.
Photo courtesy of LO MOON / Adam Amengual
LISTEN TO LO MOON’S SINGLE “LOVELESS” BELOW:
