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Uneasy Laughter

by MOANING

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Zak Hammerman
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Zak Hammerman staying inside never felt so good. Moaning dwells in a dark place that resonates with me. anxious, chilly music for anxious, chilly times, complete with a slick post-punk influence that is positively infectious. subsequent listens feel brighter and more cautiously hopeful, a light in that darkness that their previous LP lurked in.
prajmetal
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prajmetal Swirling, magical, frothy, shimmering, deeply romantic compositions that bring me back to the days of dancing in my parent's basement and watching 120 minutes. I was forced to pick only one favorite, but the entire album is my favorite. Already in my Best of 2020 list for my radio show. Favorite track: Running.
Hanilahi
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Hanilahi the malaise is back, but it's different. slaps, as expected Favorite track: Stranger.
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leftylegurski11
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Logan
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carlos enriquez
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Mason
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Nicolette Sometimes
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1.
Ego 03:50 video
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2.
Make It Stop 03:04
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3.
/// 00:37
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4.
Stranger 04:44
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5.
Running 04:18
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6.
Connect the Dots 03:56 video
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7.
Fall in Love 04:22 video
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8.
Coincidence or Fate 04:04
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9.
What Separates Us 04:03
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10.
////////// 00:49
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11.
Keep Out 04:13
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12.
Saving Face 03:49
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13.
Say Something 02:51
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about

What happens when an abrasive rock trio trades guitars for synths, cranks up the beats and leans into the everyday anxieties of simply being a functioning human in the 21st century? The answer is Uneasy Laughter, the sensational second Sub Pop release from Los Angeles-based Moaning.

Vocalist/guitarist Sean Solomon, bassist/keyboardist Pascal Stevenson and drummer Andrew MacKelvie have been friends and co-conspirators amid the fertile L.A. DIY scene for more than a decade. They are also immersed in other creative pursuits — Solomon is a noted illustrator, art director and animator, while Stevenson and MacKelvie have played or worked behind the boards with acts such as Cherry Glazerr, Sasami and Surf Curse. On Uneasy Laughter, they’ve tackled challenges both personal and universal the only way they know how: by talking about how they’re feeling and channeling those emotions directly into their music.

“We’ve known each other forever and we’re really comfortable trying to express where we’re at. A lot of bands aren’t so close,” says MacKelvie. Adds Solomon, who celebrated a year of sobriety during the Uneasy Laughter sessions, “Men are conditioned not to be vulnerable or admit they’re wrong. But I wanted to talk openly about my feelings and mistakes I’ve made.”

Moaning’s 2018’s self-titled Sub Pop debut featured songs mostly written in practice or brought in already complete by individual band members. It garnered acclaim from Pitchfork, Stereogum and Los Angeles Times, who observed, “Moaning craft anxious music for an increasingly nervous local scene.” But Uneasy Laughter is a collaborative breakthrough which significantly brightens Moaning’s once claustrophobic sound, again abetted by producer/engineer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Bloc Party, Melvins). The trio points to first single “Ego,” which features a costume-heavy video directed by Ambar Navarro, as an embodiment of this evolution.

Solomon admits Uneasy Laughter could have gone in quite another direction had he not gotten sober and educated himself on such core subjects as gender and mental health. “I did a lot of reading in the tour van — authors like bell hooks, Mark Fisher, and Alain de Botton, all really inspired me. I don’t want to be the person who influences young people to go get high and become cliche tragic artists,” he says. “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.”

“We want to be part of a community,” he adds. “I wrote online about being sober for a year, and I had kids from all over writing and asking for advice. One of them said, ‘For the first time I can remember, I didn’t drink last night.’ I thought, for once, maybe we did something besides sell a record. That’s a win. That’s incredibly exciting.”

credits

released March 20, 2020

2020 Sub Pop Records

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MOANING Los Angeles, California

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