Belgium’s Newmoon may have taken their name from an Elliot Smith compilation but their shoegazing sound has far more in common with contemporary nu-gazers such as nothing or Whirr. The band began life as hardcore punk band Midnight Souls, before changing their name and direction and touring aforementioned nothing, Basement and Cloakroom.
The band’s new single ‘Head Of Stone’, a delicious slab of melodic noise, arrives a few months ahead of their debut album, Space, which is due this October. ‘Head Of Stone’ was apparently written on a Japanese bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto and is an ode to the language barrier leading to singer/guitarist Bert Cannaerts inability to connect to people on that level. The song looks at communication difficulties and the isolation that they bring, either in terms of language or emotions.
Newmoon is a tight unit, with all band members, (who have been friends since their mid-teens), having matching tattoos and sharing a mutual love of shoegaze forefathers such as The Jesus & Mary Chain and Slowdive.
‘Head Of Stone’ is a pretty strong statement of intent by a band to watch.
Photo: Hannes M. Meier
