Today, LA’s Moaning share the video for “Connect The Dots,” the latest single from their highly anticipated sophomore album, Uneasy Laughter. “Connect The Dots” was directed by Campbell Logan.
Of the track, Sean Solomon says: “The song is about realizing you need help and being brave enough to ask for it. It’s a misconception that asking for help is a sign of weakness. In reality it’s one of the hardest things you can do.” “Connect The Dots” was directed by Campbell Logan who notes “I created this video with the intention of inspiring self-forgiveness, something I think we should all practice. Making it gave me the opportunity to practice an approach that I like to call Filmmaking Simulation, which is a process of doing film production using virtual cinematography, set design and performance. The result is photorealistic and mimics live action. We had an extremely quick turnaround on the video, but were able to complete it in a little over a month, and despite these hurdles I’m so proud of it!”
To celebrate the release of Uneasy Laughter, Moaning will be streaming a virtual listening party via Youtube on Friday, March 20th at 11am PST / 2pm EST. WATCH HERE.
[Album Art Credit: Aaron Jupin (download hi-res)]
Uneasy Laughter is available for pre-order here and will be out this Friday, March 20th. LP orders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on clear w/blue and orange-colored vinyl (while supplies last).
[Photo Credit: Michael Schmelling]
PRAISE FOR MOANING:
“The L.A. trio follow dutifully in the footsteps of Siouxsie and the Banshees and early Cure.” -Pitchfork
“Recalls early New Order… The rigid surface of the band’s post-punk jams can only barely contain Moaning’s raw, infectious intensity.” -NPR
“Moaning craft anxious music for an increasingly nervous local scene.” -LA Times
“Equal parts Joy Division and The Cure.” -UPROXX
“The band leans away from their rock roots and delivers a soaring piece of angsty, melodic synth-pop.” -MTV
“While still incorporating some punchy guitar work, the utilization of spine-chilling, David Lynch-type synths adds some much needed height.” -Stereogum
Today, LA’s
Moaning have released ”
Make It Stop,” the latest single from their anticipated sophomore album,
Uneasy Laughter.
Paste Magazine, who premiered the song (
see here) and profiled the band today, is calling it “a return to the partly raucous, partly precise guitars of their first album. Lyrically, however, it’s a dramatic turn from their dejected self-titled-it almost comes off as an inner monologue between lead singer Sean Solomon’s past self and newly improved self.”
Uneasy Laughter is available for
pre-order and due March 20th via Sub Pop.
Of the song, Solomon says “The song is about questioning negative thoughts but struggling to find a solution. Being stuck in your head. There was a period of time where I thought everyone hated me and was out to get me. Now I realize no one actually is putting that much energy into thinking about me at all. Depression can be extremely narcissistic. I encourage people who relate to this song to call someone and ask for help.
The whole band made a collage for the video. It was really fun piecing different elements together. We also added some extra surprises. The dimensions of the collage are 1920 by 40,000 pixels. It’s a big ass thing!”
Moaning is hitting the road this Spring on a run supporting Black Marble that includes at Austin, TX’s SXSW Music Festival.
TOUR DATES:
3/16-21 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
4/7 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s *
4/9 - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey *
4/10 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
4/11 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
4/13 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
4/14 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
4/16 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda *
4/17 - Houston, TX @ The Satellite *
4/18 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Company *
4/20 - Albuqueruqe, NM @ Sister *
4/21 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge *
4/22-23 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
5/7 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent *
* w/ Black Marble
Spring tour dates announced including SXSW. Uneasy Laughter is out March 20th.
Today, LA’s
Moaning have shared a video for ”
Fall In Love,” the latest from their forthcoming sophomore album,
Uneasy Laughter. The video, which premiered via Adult Swim today, was animated and directed by Moaning’s own
Sean Solomon.
Of the song and video, Solomon says “People my age are skeptical of love because we see how many previous generations got divorced or went through painful experiences. The song is about being afraid to fall in love because of expecting heartbreak. It’s about hating yourself too much to open yourself up to someone else. It’s a bummer of a song lyrically but it’s pretty fun to dance to!
I made the music video in my bedroom a couple weeks ago. It’s a psychedelic depiction of an imaginary romance. It’s inspired by early experimental animations like Belladonna of Sadness and Heavy Metal. Both the song and the video are perfect for everyone feeling like shit this Valentine’s Day.”
Uneasy Laughter is available for
pre-order and due March 20th via Sub Pop.
[Album Art Credit: Aaron Jupin]
Moaning Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Additionally, Moaning have announced a spring tour that includes a free hometown show in Los Angeles presented by Doc Martens, a stop at Austin, TX’s SXSW Music Festival, and a run in support of Black Marble.
2/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Moon Room ^
3/16-21 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
4/7 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s *
4/9 - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey *
4/10 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
4/11 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
4/13 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
4/14 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
4/16 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda *
4/17 - Houston, TX @ The Satellite *
4/18 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Company *
4/20 - Albuqueruqe, NM @ Sister *
4/21 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge *
4/22-23 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
5/7 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent *
^ Free show presented by Doc Martens
* w/ Black Marble
[Photo Credit: Michael Schmelling]
North American Tour Dates To Be Announced Soon
Moaning, the musical effort from vocalist/guitarist Sean Solomon, bassist/keyboardist Pascal Stevenson and drummer Andrew MacKelvie, will follow-up their 2018 self-titled debut with
Uneasy Laughter on Sub Pop Records this March 20th, 2020. What happens when an abrasive rock trio trades guitars for synths, cranks up the beats and leans into the everyday anxieties of simply being a functioning human in the 21st century? The answer is
Uneasy Laughter, the sensational second Sub Pop release from Los Angeles-based Moaning. Pre-order
Uneasy Laughter HERE.
Uneasy Laughter is a collaborative breakthrough which significantly brightens Moaning’s once claustrophobic sound, again abetted by producer/engineer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Bloc Party, Melvins). The trio points to first single “Ego,” released today, which features a costume-heavy video directed by
Ambar Navarro (Soccer Mommy, Oberhoffer, Anna Burch), as an embodiment of this evolution.
“The lyrics are about letting go of your own bullshit to help other people. Wanting to love yourself to love others. The ego can make you feel like you’re the greatest person in the world or the worst.” stated vocalist Sean Solomon. It makes you think your problems are abnormally different which is isolating and rarely true. The song is a reminder that listening to other perspectives is important and beneficial to both parties involved.”
“Musically, the song was started by repurposing a drum beat made for a different demo and putting it on top of a new synth loop. It was a digital collage where we passed Ableton files back and forth,” added bassist/keyboardist Pascal Stevenson. “We purposely avoided the impulse to add guitars to everything, letting the melodies of the synth and vocals be the focus. We wanted to embrace the songs ability to slip between genre lines.”
Solomon, Stevenson and MacKelvie have been friends and co-conspirators amid the fertile L.A. DIY scene for more than a decade. They are also immersed in other mediums and creative pursuits — Solomon is a
noted illustrator , art director and animator, while Stevenson and MacKelvie have played or worked behind the boards with acts such as Cherry Glazerr, Sasami and Surf Curse. On
Uneasy Laughter, they’ve tackled challenges both personal and universal the only way they know how: by talking about how they’re feeling and channeling those emotions directly into their music.
“We’ve known each other forever and we’re really comfortable trying to express where we’re at. A lot of bands aren’t so close,” says MacKelvie. Adds Solomon, who celebrated a year of sobriety during the Uneasy Laughter sessions, “Men are conditioned not to be vulnerable or admit they’re wrong. But I wanted to talk openly about my feelings and mistakes I’ve made.”
Photo Credit: Michael Schmelling (
Hi-Res )
Stevenson’s initial demo was slower and in what he calls “a strange time signature,” which stymied Solomon’s attempts to write vocal melodies. Borrowing a MacKelvie drumbeat from the demo of a different song, Stevenson found that it fit perfectly. The track was fleshed out further in practices and through passing demos back and forth, with the result “perfectly capturing every idea we wanted to play with,” says MacKelvie.
“I don’t think we would have been able to approach writing a song that way before,” adds Stevenson.
Several of the songs originated on acoustic guitar, and guitar can be heard in at least some form on nearly every album track. But the willingness to experiment with synths and loops greatly expanded Moaning’s sonic palette, particularly on the guitar-less album closer “Say Something.”
Recalls Solomon, “I wrote it as a folk song. When I brought it in, I told the guys, ‘I kind of hate this, but I like the melody and lyrics, so how do we turn it into a Moaning song?’” The answer turned out to be by stripping out guitar entirely and turning it into “a complete digital creation. It’s super weird and clubby. Now we just need to figure out how to play it live,” he says with a laugh. “When you hear Nirvana cover the Vaselines, it’s still the same song but it sounds completely different. Song structure can transcend style and genre. I wanted to write things I felt confident were good songs, regardless of whether it was on acoustic guitar or synths.”
“Guitars always sound like guitars, whereas with keyboards you have the ability to thin them out or thicken them up more dramatically, and then mold them to fit into whatever spot you need them to fit into,” says Stevenson. Flecked by patterns of neon synths and a rush of guitar, “Fall in Love” is both metronomic and completely human. “I would never play a bass line on an actual bass that’s so on the grid,” Stevenson offers. “But it does something major for the feel of the song.”
Elsewhere, distortion reverberates atop the pounding drums and earworm melody of “Make It Stop,” while “Saving Face” contrasts Solomon’s gauzy vocals with an undulating synth bass line, creating an off-kilter bliss. The restrained atmospherics and synth loops on “Connect the Dots” belie a tense revelation responsible for the new album’s title. “A lot of these songs wouldn’t have been this different and awesome without Pascal’s expertise with synths,” MacKelvie enthuses.
Solomon admits Uneasy Laughter could have gone in quite another direction had he not gotten sober and educated himself on such core subjects as gender and mental health. “I did a lot of reading in the tour van — ‘All About Love’ and ‘Ain’t I A Woman’ by bell hooks, ‘Capitalist Realism’ by Mark Fisher and ‘How Proust Can Change Your Life’ by Alain de Botton. I don’t want to be the guy who influences young people to go get high and become cliched tragic artists,” he says. “What I’d rather convey to people is that they’re not alone in what they think and how they feel.”
“We want to be part of a community,” he adds. “I wrote online about being sober for a year, and I had kids from all over writing and asking for advice. One of them said, ‘For the first time I can remember, I didn’t drink last night.’ I thought, for once, maybe we did something besides sell a record. That’s a win. That’s incredibly exciting.”
Album Art by Aaron Jupin (
Hi-Res )
Moaning
Uneasy Laughter
Tracklisting
2. Make It Stop
3. ///
4. Stranger
5. Running
6. Connect the Dots
7. Fall in Love
8. Coincidence or Fate
9. What Separates Us
10. //////////
11. Keep Out
12. Saving Face
13. Say Something
In lieu of a proper showcase this year, Sub Pop and Hardly Art artists Bully, Kyle Craft, La Luz, METZ, Moaning and Dick Stusso will be performing in Austin, Texas next week. Below you will find a detailed schedule of our artists shows, as well as sampling of their music. See ya down there!
Bully: youtu.be/Q4uRzdzZOS0
Kyle Craft: youtu.be/VgJReL_Z8mQ
La Luz: youtu.be/vVaZuX5FRDA
METZ: youtu.be/kANA9UD4vKI
Moaning: youtu.be/v7id_Wxsr2I
Dick Stusso: youtu.be/tJBqGe88-9A
Monday, March 12, 2018
Band: Bully (Sub Pop)
Show: The Onion/AV Club
Location: Mohawk Outdoor ( 912 Red River Rd)
Time: 8:30 PM
Band: Wye Oak (Sub Pop Publishing)
Show: AV Club
Location: Mohawk Outdoor (912 Red River Rd)
Time: 9:40 PM
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Band: Dick Stusso (Hardly Art)
Location: Spiderhouse (2908 Fruth St)
Time: 1:00 PM
Band: Bully (Sub Pop)
Location: Mohawk Outdoor (912 Red River Rd)
Time: TBD
Band: Kyle Craft (Sub Pop)
Show: KCMP
Location: Blackheart (86 Rainey St)
Time: 3:00 PM
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Show: She Shreds Showcase
Location: Kinda Tropical (3501 E 7th Street)
Time: 6:40 PM
Band: Low, Organ Show (Sub Pop)
Location: St. David’s Episcopal Church (301 E 8th Street)
Time: 11:00 PM
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Band: Bully (Sub Pop)
Show: KUTX
Location: Four Seasons Hotel (8 San Jacinto Blvd)
Time: 9:00 AM
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Show: Panache Bruise Cruise
Time: 3:30 PM
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Location: Electric Church (018 E Cesar Chavez St)
Time: 6:30 PM
Band: Moaning (Sub Pop)
Show: Desert Daze
Location: Hotel Vegas (1502 E 6th St, Austin)
Time: 5:45 PM
Band: Moaning (Sub Pop)
Show: Ground Control Touring Showcase
Location: Barracuda
Time: 10: 25 PM
Band: Wye Oak (Sub Pop Publishing)
Show: KCRW
Location: Convention Centre (500 E Cesar Chavez St)
Time: 3:00 PM
Band: Wye Oak (Sub Pop Publishing)
Show: Twix + Collide
Location: Lustre Pearl (94 Rainey Street)
Time: 9:00 PM
Band: Bully (Sub Pop)
Show: Doc Martens presents Collide
Location: Container Bar (90 Rainey St)
Time: 5:00 PM
Band: Kyle Craft (Sub Pop)
Show: Portland Showcase
Location: Valhalla (710 Red River St)
Time: 4:20 PM
Band: Kyle Craft (Sub Pop)
Show: Portland Showcase - Official SXSW Showcase
Location: St. David’s Church
Time: 8:00 PM
Band: Low (Sub Pop)
Show: NPR
Location: Stubb’s (801 E Red River)
Time: 9:20 PM
Band: Dick Stusso (Hardly Art)
Show: Desert Daze
Location: Volstead
Time: 11:30 PM
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Band: Kyle Craft (Sub Pop)
Show: Fader Fort
Location: 1501 E. 7th St. (between Onion & Comal)
Time: 11:20 AM
Band: Dick Stusso (Hardly Art)
Show: Noise Pop Showcase
Location: Sidewinder (715 Red River St)
Time: 12:00 PM
Band: Moaning (Sub Pop)
Show: Fredericksburg AA
Location: Side Bar (602 E 7th St)
Time: 1:45 PM
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Show: SXSJ Showcase
Location: Hotel San Jose (1316 S Congress Ave)
Time: 4:00 PM
Band: Kyle Craft (Sub Pop)
Show: Austin City Limits Showcase, KCSN Showcase
Location: Convention Center (500 E Cesar Chavez St)
Time: 4:00 PM
Band: Wye Oak (Sub Pop Publishing)
Show: Pledge Music/ Noise Trade
Location: The Blackheart (86 Rainey St)
Time: 4.30 PM
Band: Moaning (Sub Pop)
Show: Voodoo Doughnut
Location: Grey Estates
Time: 4:40 PM CST
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Show: Levitation Showcase
Location: Hotel Vegas (1502 E 6th St)
Time: 6:30 PM
Band: Moaning (Sub Pop)
Show: Levitation
Location: Hotel Vegas (1502 E 6th St)
Time:
Band: Bully (Sub Pop)
Show: Brooklyn Vegan
Location: Scoot Inn (1308 E 4th St)
Time: 9:00 PM
Band: Wye Oak (Sub Pop Publishing)
Show: Brooklyn Bowl Family Reunion
Location: Scoot Inn (1308 E 4th St)
Time: 12:00 AM
Friday, March 16, 2018
Band: Moaning (Sub Pop)
Show: Floodfest
Location: Cedar Street Courtyard (208 W 4th St)
Time: 12:00 PM
Band: Wye Oak (Sub Pop Publishing)
Show: KUTX Pop up session
Time: 2.30 PM
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Show: Volcom Showcase
Location: Volcom Garden ( 1209 E 6th S)
Time: 5:20 PM
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Show: Panache Booking Official Showcase
Location: Hotel Vegas (1502 E 6th St)
Time: 12:20 PM
Band: METZ (Sub Pop)
Show: Fluffer Pit Parties / Shout It Out Loud Music
Location: Barracuda (611 E 7th Street)
Time: 1:00 AM
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Show: Brooklyn Vegan + Margin Walker Lost Weekend 2
Location: Cheer Up Charlies (900 Red River St)
Time: 12:45 PM
Band: Moaning (Sub Pop)
Show: Converse / Thrasher
Location: Scoot Inn (1308 E 4th St)
Time: 2:00 PM
Band: La Luz (Hardly Art)
Show: Burgermania VII
Location: Hotel Vegas (1502 E 6th St)
Time: 4:15 PM
Band: Moaning (Sub Pop)
Show: Burger Mania
Location: Hotel Vegas (1502 E 6th St)
Time: 4:30 PM
Band: METZ (Sub Pop)
Show: Thrasher Deathmatch
Location: The Weather Up (1808 E. Cesar Chavez Street)
Time: 6:00 PM
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Band: METZ (Sub Pop)
Show: Earthquaker Devices Party
Location: Empire Control Room (606 E 7th Street)
Time: 7:30 PM
2018 International Tour Now Includes Dates Supporting METZ (Europe) and Preoccupations (US West Coast); New Shows Include Brooklyn, UK tour, SXSW
Experience Moaning’s forthcoming new album (out March 2nd) ahead of its release through a voyeuristic lens with this cover art visualizer and stream (see Brooklyn Vegan premiere February 26th). Directed by the band and Max Flick, this “cover art visualizer” features a different vignette for every song on the album.
“[Moaning] incorporate dark shoegaze and wall-of-noise rippers into their hazy palette, with some soaring, poppy numbers too. (They’re a little bit like ’00s-era LA band Abe Vigoda.) We’re premiering a visual stream of the whole record that cleverly riffs on the album’s cover art,” says Brooklyn Vegan (see premiere February 26th).
Moaning has also just extended their international tour schedule for 2018 through June 21st. Highlights include: appearances at SXSW March 14th-17th; a support slot on labelmates METZ European jaunt (April 17th-18th; select dates April 23rd-May 5th); A US West Coast run opening for Secretly Canadian records act Preoccupations (May 11th-19th); A return trip to mainland EU and the UK for more festivals and headlining shows (May 25th-June 17th); And the addition of a Brooklyn, New York show on June 21st at Zone One at Elsewhere. Additional tour dates announced soon.
Mar. 09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo ^
Mar. 10 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom / Flying Burrito Music & Food Festival
Mar. 11 - Flagstaff, AZ - The Burn Ward
Mar. 13 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger / Heatwave 3 Festival
Mar. 14 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Ground Control Touring Showcase at Barracuda
Mar. 15 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Grey Estates Showcase at Voodoo Doughnut
Mar. 16 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 17 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Burgermania 7 at Hotel Vegas
Mar. 18 - Hot Springs, AR -Valley of the Vapors
Mar. 20 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Mar. 21 - Omaha, NE - O’Leavers
Mar. 21 - 25 - Boise, ID - Treefort Music Festival
Mar. 22 - Denver, CO - Lost Lake ^^
Mar. 23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court #
Mar. 25 - Reno, NV - Holland Project $
Apr. 17 - Lisbon, PT - Musicbox *
Apr. 18 - Porto, PT - Hard Club *
Apr. 19 - Benidorm, ES - Fuzzville Festival
Apr. 20 - Hondarribia, ES - Psichobelicenea
Apr. 21 - Barcelona, ES - Sala Be Good
Apr. 23 - Milan, IT - Magnolia *
Apr. 24 - Bologna, IT - Freakout*
Apr. 25 - Munich, DE - Strom *
Apr. 26 - Cologne, DE - Gebaude 9 *
Apr. 28 - London, UK - Test Pressing Festival *
Apr. 30 - Glasgow, UK - Stereo *
May 02 - Manchester, UK - Soup Kitchen *
May 03 - Ramsgate, UK - Ramsgate Music Hall *
May 05 - Leffingen, BE - De Zwerver *
May 11 - Seattle, WA - Barboza **
May 12 - Portland, OR - Star Theatre **
May 14 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop **
May 17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo **
May 18 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo ** [SOLD OUT]
May 19 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar **
May 25 - Laval, FR - 3 Les Elephants Festival
May 26 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Festival
May 27 - Brussels, BE - AB Club
May 29 - Lausanne, CH - Le Romandie
May 30 - Carpi, IT - Mattatoio
Jun. 01 - Nimes, FR - This Is Not A Lovesong Festival
Jun. 05 - Tours, FR - Aucard de tour
Jun. 06 - Angers, FR - Heron Carre
Jun. 07 - Le Havre, FR - Mc Daids
Jun. 10 - Hilvarenbeek, NL - Best Kept Secret Festival
Jun. 12 - London, UK - The Lexington
Jun. 14 - Glasgow, UK - Broadcast
Jun. 15 - Bristol, UK - Rough Trade
Jun. 17 - Margate, UK - Tom Thumb
Jun. 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Zone One at Elsewhere
^ w/ Froth
^^ w/ Nnamdi Ogbonnaya
* w/ METZ
$ w/ Bedroom
** w/ Preoccupations
# w/ Ed Schrader’s Music Beat
Moaning will be available this Friday, March 2nd on CD/LP/CS/DL worldwide through Sub Pop right over here.
