It’s BLINK week, people! Art, music and performance are flooding the city in a big way, in one of the biggest events of the whole year.
This week’s local band highlight reminds me a little of all the LEDs and fiber optics draping through our streets. Through the smoke and the glow of the laser light this weekend, I could almost imagine the duo playing a set. You know them, you love them – it’s Moonbeau.
Moonbeau is certainly not new to the scene. Their first single, 2017’s “Are We In Love Yet?” introduced the world (Cincinnati, particularly) to a fresh and danceable new-wave-inspired electronic act. Almost a decade later, Christian Gough’s creation hasn’t lost a step.
2018’s self-titled and 2020’s “Up All Night” are the only studio albums Moonbeau has ever released. While their catalog might not be massive, both records are full of love for nostalgic, indulgent electronic music (“Get to Know You” and “Complicated” off their self-titled are prime examples of songs straight from, say, The Human League’s “Dare”).
Their newest single, “Only the Lovers”, released in December of last year, takes the band’s sound in a particularly atmospheric direction. Not only does the production sound a lot “wider” than it used to, there is a lot more going on in that newfound space. The music builds under the verses, creating organic tension that explodes out on the chorus with what sounds like a twinkly nebula of sound stars. Did I mention this was best listened to with headphones?
That doesn’t mean you should overlook “Up All Night” — much of the band’s modern glossiness is still there. The album really shines on tracks like “I Wanna Dance With You” or “One More Time”, even if they feel a tad less “floaty” comparatively. For fans of bands like Bleachers, Djo, or that old-school new wave stuff (the synths are undeniable), this is a solid entry in the genre.
One can only hope that a new single late last year means a third album won’t follow too far behind. Moonbeau represents the best of the dreamy, twinkly sounds of a time gone by, coming back for a modern audience. Because let me tell you: this band is no pastiche. It’s vintage.
You can find last week’s feature on Green Fuzz here. Leave a comment on our Instagram or email me at ebloomfield@linknky.com with your suggestions for next week’s local band highlight!