'Uneasy Laughter' review: Post-punk trio Moaning settle on heavenly, synth-heavy textures for their second LP
The LA-based post-punk trio Moaning is all set to release their much anticipated second album titled 'Uneasy Laughter' on March 20 via Sub Pop Records. If you are a fan of the band, then perhaps you already know what to expect from the melancholic three-piece outfit — or maybe not.
But first, a little context is required. When Moaning released their self-titled debut EP via Sub Pop Records back in 2018, two iconic bands immediately sprung to mind upon hearing their songs — and that's meant as a huge compliment. Speaking purely in terms of sound, content, and vibe, Moaning reminded us a whole lot of the celebrated poster children for dark post-punk, the seminal band Joy Division (RIP Ian Curtis), as well as their beloved illegitimate kids of the new millennium, Interpol. Using layers of acerbic guitars, hazy synths, peppy drum lines, and gliding bass work, the appropriately named Moaning had us drowning in existential angst while grooving along to the driving melodies that put us in that gloomy headspace in the first place.
Even though trying to make sense of today's absurd modern world via upbeat music and dreary lyrics is now considered old hat, what Moaning had brought to the table two years ago was a fresh perspective on an otherwise (and perhaps necessarily) dull and bleak genre. And now, Moaning has ramped that fresh factor up a few notches and effectively settled on a brighter, more refined sound that the band had previously touched on with their dreamy synths in album number one. As the name 'Uneasy Laughter' suggests, the 13 songs on this album tackle the collective uncertainties, anxieties, and neuroses of the band's members, namely vocalist/guitarist Sean Solomon, bassist/keyboardist Pascal Stevenson, and drummer Andrew McKelvie, who have been lifelong friends and collaborators in the DIY music scene of Los Angeles for more than a decade already.
The lead single 'Ego' contains these pithy lines — "The highest high / The lowest low / I want to lose my ego... I want to be anybody but myself / I want to love anybody but myself." Both the music video and this entire album give off strong vibes of a certain remarkable band called The Cure, along with New Order, another great band that was famously made up of members of the now-defunct Joy Division. Their presence is undeniable on this album, with its blissful synth work, intricate drum loops, reverberant guitars, and sinuous basslines. But to say Moaning sound like bands we already know and love would be missing the point — if anything, we're thoroughly commending their musical inspirations and revamped tonal direction. This is probably their most authentic, vulnerable and strangely, most optimistic record yet. Solomon's mournful, languid vocals have never sounded better, and there's a genuine bite to his bark. Sample these lyrics from the track 'What Separate Us' when he laments, "Life is plagiarism / A thought thought before / What is your own / You’re not sure anymore." Hardly copy-of-a-copy stuff, that.
Several of the songs on this LP were initially created on acoustic guitar, but when compared to their debut album, guitars certainly play a less significant role throughout. Moaning's willingness to experiment with synths and loops have greatly expanded their sonic palette, particularly on tracks like the heady 'Fall In Love' or the soaring guitar-less album closer 'Say Something', which sounds more like a retrowave song than a post-punk anthem.
Solomon explains, “I wrote it as a folk song. When I brought it in, I told the guys, ‘I kind of hate this, but I like the melody and lyrics, so how do we turn it into a Moaning song?’” The answer turned out to be by stripping out the guitars entirely and turning it into a completely digital creation — a whole new different beast than what we're used to hearing from the band.
The newly sober Solomon admits that 'Uneasy Laughter' might have gone in a darker direction had he not cleaned up his act and started reading up on gender and mental health. "I am a victim of my own mind," he drawls on the floaty track 'Strangers'. Instead, Solomon decided to understand why his mind worked the way it did. ‘All About Love’ and ‘Ain’t I A Woman’ by bell hooks, ‘Capitalist Realism’ by Mark Fisher and ‘How Proust Can Change Your Life’ by Alain de Botton were some of the books he delved into.
"I don’t want to be the guy who influences young people to go get high and become cliched tragic artists," he admits in promotional material for the album. “What I’d rather convey to people is that they’re not alone in what they think and how they feel. ‘Ego’ specifically and the album overall is about those themes - letting go of your bullshit so you can help other people and be present." On the strength of this new LP, Moaning should be considered their own wondrous breed of world-weary warblers - we look forward to their ever-continuing musical evolution.