Start Listening To: Moonpools
Moonpools explore themes of forgiveness, self-discovery, and the complexities of human emotion.
Moonpools are a captivating indie rock ensemble hailing from the scenic city of Basel, Switzerland. Comprised of five close-knit friends bound by their passion for music. In this insightful dialogue, we delve into the essence of Moonpools' upcoming EP, Hide and Seek exploring the inspiration behind its creation and the themes that permeate its evocative melodies.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
We’re five friends who decided to make music together. We’re based in Basel, Switzerland and we make indie rock/ dream pop/ shoegaze music.
Your upcoming EP, Hide and Seek is set to release soon. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the EP and what listeners can expect from it?
With our last EP ‘Damaged Goods’ we dipped our toes into more distorted guitars. This time we’re taking more of a swim in those soundscapes. We were inspired by current bands we’re big fans of like Slow Pulp and Hatchie, but also artists we’ve been following for a while, like Pedro The Lion, Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine. The EP consists of five songs ranging from full-on shoegaze to dream pop to an acoustic ballad. Lyrically, the songs are about forgiveness, friendship, self-doubt and self-discovery.
‘Never Mind’ is the lead single from your EP and has been described as having thick, layered guitars and infectious vocal melodies. What was the creative process like behind this track, and what themes does it explore?
Matthias wrote the song a few years ago and was thinking of releasing it with a new solo project. Instead he suggested we give it a go with Moonpools and it clicked.
We recorded the whole EP (apart from the drums) in our band room and tried every combination of distortion pedals available to us haha. The glide guitar, which can be heard throughout the song was recorded over 10 times and you can hear three or four of these layers in the final version.
In the song, the protagonist is trying to comfort and support a friend. But over the course of the song, the comforter stops believing their own words and falls into the same hopelessness as their friend.
The video for ‘Never Mind’ presents a cinematic dreamscape overlaid with shots of the band. How does the visual component enhance the listening experience of the song, and what was the concept behind the video?
The idea was to combine contrasts, which we often use in our songwriting, too. The romantic shots of the seaside and landscapes that become more and more distorted, glitchy and unrecognisable as the song goes on. The video really encapsulates the meaning of the tune. Mischa Nüesch did an amazing job directing and editing it, and we’re really grateful or friends Tobija Stuker and Joachim Setlik provided their footage of their trip to Ireland for the backdrop of the video.
Marcie, you mentioned that ‘Never Mind’ is usually the last song of your live set and becomes all-consuming for the band. Can you describe the energy and emotion you aim to convey during your live performances of this song?
As it’s just two repeating chords over the course of five minutes, it’s a good moment to let go and be present, to just let the sound wash over you (as a listener and performer). I don’t actively try to convey any particular emotion during the song. At some gigs there’s more anger in the song, at others more hope. But I think the energy of being all-consumed comes across, and also that we’re having fun while we’re playing.
Moonpools' sound is influenced by classic shoegaze groups like Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine, as well as modern artists like Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy. How do you balance these influences to create a sound that is uniquely Moonpools?
I think we’re still in the process of finding our sound. Because Matthias wrote three of the five songs, his love for distorted guitars and Kevin Shields’ glide guitar technique became a cornerstone for the production. As we combined these guitars with a more gritty rhythm section,
The EP's production is slick, with roaring guitars and shimmering synths. How did the band approach recording and producing Hide and Seek and what challenges did you encounter during the process?
After we’d recorded the demos for the songs and figured out the basic arrangements of the tunes, we recorded the drums at our friend’s studio. With those recordings in hand, we went back to our band room and spent around 5 months recording endless guitar lines and synth sounds to find the right combinations. Matthias basically lived in our rehearsal room for a while. It was one of the first productions he’d taken the lead on, so he hit a technical or mixing wall every now and then. Another hurdle was figuring out one of the songs didn’t work at all anymore and we decided to leave it behind. But we ended up picking it back up 7 months later to record an acoustic version in one day.
Hide and Seek follows your previous EPs, Turbulent Times and Damaged Goods. How do you see the band's musical progression reflected in this latest release?
We spent a lot less time recording the EPs ‘Turbulent Times’ and ‘Damaged Goods’ compared to ‘Hide and Seek’. We didn’t really think about the arrangements and most of the songs were recorded pretty much exactly how they sound when we play them live. The arrangements for ‘Hide and Seek’ however were rewritten and rerecorded numerous times until it all came together.
And in general our sound has become more cohesive, less all over the place, and we’re honing in on our sound more and more.
The lyrics in Moonpools' songs often explore themes of unrequited love, loss of control, and apathy. Can you delve into the lyrical themes present in Hide and Seek and how they relate to your personal experiences?
‘Hide and Seek’ has some of the most intuitively written lyrics I’ve ever come up with. Most of them were the first thing that came to mind and they just stuck. Matthias would send over demos of songs he’d written, and I’d listen to them on repeat and sing along. And the words that came out on the first few goes are pretty much the same ones on the EP. Partly because I was having trouble coming up with other lyrics, but also because they just kind of worked as they’re about inherently human emotions and processes like self-doubt and self-discovery.
What do you love right now?
Couscous and Babehoven’s new song ‘Birdseye’.
What do you hate right now?
Tiktok and the temperature currently being below 15°C where I live.
Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?
I’ve just realised I don’t really listen to the music I enjoyed when I was younger anymore. I did recently listen to ‘Let Go’ by Avril Lavigne and was transported back in time. That album is the reason I started printing chords and lyrics off ultimate-guitar.com so I could learn the songs and sing along. And the songwriting is class.
What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from Hide and Seek and Moonpools' music as a whole?
There’s no particular message or feeling I’m trying to convey. If the music resonates with someone, whether they find solace in the lyrics or just think it’s a catchy tune, that’s more than I could ask for.
