"we are all alone, born alone, die alone"
"For Your Happiness" by the ying /yangian post punk eclectronic duo, Moontwin, is hypnotically dreamy in a self help sort of way. Moontwin are singer-songwriter Maple Bee (aka Melanie Garside) and Zac Kuzmanov, founder of alternative radio station XRaydio. I have had the utmost pleasure of writing about quite a few of their works and, while all their tracks are true collaborations, on many of them Maple Bee has been front and center but on "For Your Happiness" it is Kuzmanov's uniquely obsidian vocal aesthetic, deeply resonant and sage-like that rules the day and in some small way, his patter made me think of that old 90's Baz Lurhmann spoken word thing he adapted more commonly called "Wear Sunscreen". Kuzmanov talks over a truly trippy and beautifully rendered musical bed where the bass marches forward punctuated by a mid tempo beat and dramatic synthetic orchestration. His vocal prowess is offset by Maple Bee's absolutely stunning layered divergent vox. Bee's voice in anything she does feels shiny, pure and artistic, a sort of futuristic proto punk form of mercury that bends and navigate through the artistic atmosphere Moontwin creates.
Zac says, “‘For Your Happiness’ questions our obsession with idealised, romantic love and the desire to seek our personal salvation through ‘the other’... perhaps even more relevant now than ever before.”
"For Your Happiness" is the first release since 2020's debut full length "Moon TV".
-Robb Donker Curtius
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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
Moontwin are singer-songwriter Maple Bee (aka Melanie Garside) and Zac Kuzmanov, founder of alternative radio station XRaydio.
The starkly honest and irreverent words of Hunter S Thompson’s ‘The Proud Highway’ are centre to Moontwin’s new musical offering...
Zac says, “‘For Your Happiness’ questions our obsession with idealised, romantic love and the desire to seek our personal salvation through ‘the other’... perhaps even more relevant now than ever before.”
The track is doused in rich, dreamy, melancholic strings and siren-like vocal harmonies that entice and confuse in equal measure.
“They are a musical match made in heaven.” American Pancake
“They are amazing!” BBC Introducing
“Think Mazzy Star duetting with Leonard Cohen.” Midsummer Madness
“Fabulous.” Come Here Floyd
“‘Brakes’ is a thunderous single.” The Grey Lantern
“Moontwin blend electronica with raw, organic blues and strong melodies, reminiscent of
The Kills, The Duke Spirit and Royal Trux.” Velvety
“British outfit channel the brooding spirit of Nick Cave on this dark yet swooning release.” Mystic Sons
“Moontwin’s ‘Brakes’ is your favourite new song.” RCRD LBL
“‘Brakes’ is an exciting track, with a hint of danger to it, one that will draw you back to listen to it over and over.” Analogue Trash
Following the release of their debut album ‘Moon TV’ last year, Moontwin return with new single ‘For Your Happiness’. Previous singles ‘Brakes’, ‘Nothing Is Good For Me’, ‘Never In The Same Worlds’, ‘Lose You’, ‘Your Sun’ and ‘Don’t Worry Bout Me’ picked up a plethora of blog reviews and playlists from around the world.
Distant old friends with a common history, Melanie and Zac reconnected in a virtual space somewhere between Bulgaria and London. The pair soon found themselves spinning threads of musical ideas remotely. They write and record their music and film their videos using videophones as their portal, all while being over 1700 miles apart.
https://www.facebook.com/moontwinmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/moontwinmusic/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmzWUfHkhyJS7cFtvzv2ehQ
https://open.spotify.com/artist/44NqCpdthTpVVnN8149SuA?si=Pf2-TLtjSAycbvIZjwRkYA
Moontwin, Slowcore, Shoegaze / Dream Pop, bedroom pop, alternative rock, art rock, long distance collaboration, "For Your Happiness" is the first release since 2020's debut full length "Moon TV"
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