After a few months of silence on the airwaves, Moon Party are coming in loud and clear with their latest single ‘Caught Up’. While they may be one or two members lighter, the surviving Moonmen have re-entered the atmosphere with the same old sound we all know and love.
Originating from Kilwinning, Moon Party is a well-known act on the Ayrshire and Glasgow circuits. The energy which these guys produce live is successfully captured in this 4-minute-something array of synth, guitar and catchy tunes.
The opening wailing sound will quite possibly cause some listeners to think their disc has jammed (if people even use those anymore) but persevere or you’ll miss that classic Moon Party introduction – simple and brimming with optimism. Granted this wailing sound does get annoying after a while but it is soon drowned out by the dulcet tones of lead singer, Tom Kearns, painting a picture of a quiet town springing to life on a Friday night. The scene quickly changes to a man watching his estranged lover dancing from a distance and asking the question “Who’s going to take you home?” Thanks to a brilliant use of the English language and fitting accompaniment, you can actually imagine yourself sitting at the bar and seeing a poor, tortured man gaze upon a care-free woman, trying to forget.
One great thing about this track is that, thanks to the snappy drum beat, you can actually dance to it. Perhaps it’s all the references to dancing in a club but, listening to this track, you just can’t sit still. The lyrics and music support an ‘I’m sad so I’m going out’ attitude, something that we all need from time to time. While the drums to set a good beat for dancing, they are rather limited. Perhaps the band is trying to find its feet again after the departure of drummer Ken Yip, but this track definitely evokes nostalgia for the more experimental approach, as heard on the ‘Young Love’ EP from last year. Equally, the band’s bassist Lee Donnelly is a great talent (listen to ‘This Thing Called Life’) but he’s just not given the time in this track. The track is however well worth a listen. If anything, the captivating prose-like lyrics will carry away to another world and make you feel better.
Could 2014 be Moon Party’s year? Well, it’s only January so time will tell but ‘Caught Up’ gives them a good basis to work from and hopefully some live gigs will be coming our way in the not-to-distant future. At present, they are indeed coming in loud and clear. Hopefully no more static will cloud the signal.
More at the band’s Facebook page.
‘Caught Up’ will be available for download on Tuesday from the band’s Facebook page and Soundcloud.