GETTING TO KNOW LO MOON: ‘WE DON’T WANT TO SKIP ANY STEPS’

The really memorable thing about Lo Moon’s Governors Ball set this past weekend was their cool dynamic together, as well as their perceptible creative energy, which coaxed a good-sized crowd over to see what they were all about. As it turned out, our interview with them after the show was memorable for the same reasons. The breakthrough LA electronic band, who many outlets described as “mysterious” or having “come out of nowhere” upon their debut, have in fact been jamming together for about 3 years, and working on their first full-length album for over a year. In an industry that tends to pump new music and social content out of young bands, Lo Moon’s quiet, unhasty approach is a rather unique one – and one that seems to be paying off.

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“I’m actually just amazed that people care about a song that’s seven minutes,” said frontman Matt Lowell incredulously, recalling the absorbed crowd that had gathered for their show. “The first single was seven minutes long, and sometimes, you forget that music can do that to people. We’re all big music fans, so when we look at bands that do something well, we want to get behind them. And when you’re on the other end of it – wow. I’m just stoked that anybody cares in today’s climate. I think it’s a very small, excited base that we’re talking to. But that’s exciting, because that means they’re going to tell their friends. That’s how this whole thing works. We don’t want to skip any steps.”

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They haven’t thus far. As any listener of the band’s immersive jams might suspect, the writing process behind them is a long and organic one. “We all get involved in making the music. That’s what’s special about the band,” said Matt. “The basic structures of all the songs start with Matt,” explained multi-instrumentalist Samuel Stewart. “And then we just jam on them for ages in the studio. Everyone just has their way with the song for awhile, so it gets really messy.” “It always gets to the point in the recording process where we’re like, ‘where are we?!’” added Matt with a laugh. “After awhile, it all makes sense – you try to get things out of the way, then you suddenly see the picture, and that’s the song. But it fucking takes forever to get it there,” he said, describing the group as “perfectionists.” “We’ll go for five hours in the studio without saying a word to each other.” “Except ‘Hi,’” laughed bassist Crisanta Baker.

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As we soon found out, Lo Moon’s collaborative spirit reaches beyond the musical realm. “We worked with a fine artist for the record cover for ‘This Is It,’ the single,” Matt said, referencing the ethereal piece by contemporary artist David Spriggs. “It was amazing just to talk to him about his world. The piece is basically built inside a case, and it’s massive in real life.” “It’s layered paintings on pieces of glass,” explained Crisanta, demonstrating the effect with her hands. It’s one of many new developments that Lo Moon is excited about, between finishing their debut LP, shooting a music video for “This Is It,” and playing some shows with Glass Animals soon. “We’re just happy to be on the road as well,” said Samuel. “As soon as we get the news like ‘Oh yeah, you guys got the blah-blah tour,’ we’re just like ‘YEAAAAH! Now we don’t have to be at home anymore!’” “It’s an exciting moment, you know?” agreed Matt. “Because you just want to get out there and play a song. I mean, that’s why you do this.”

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They’d already won us over, but we were equally impressed by the band’s collective taste in whiskey. “I like bourbons that are very easy to drink, like Basil Hayden’s or something. I’m not really a man,” Samuel laughed. On the contrary, Crisanta, who said she loves Johnny Walker, sang the praises of Lagavulin’s rugged taste. “I had it once – it’s so oaky! It tastes like a sailor’s shoe,” she said affectionately, suddenly giggling at her own comparison. It is hard to beat that sailor-shoe flavor.

Article: Olivia Isenhart