Ari Jacob has offered a conceptual journey with his latest offering ‘Son Called Moon’, a transcendent body of work that reflect on identity, freedom and desire.
The eight-song project — which doubles as a musical that recently enjoyed a four-night run at Melbourne’s Chapel off Chapel — sees the Melbourne singer-songwriter adopt the persona of the moon and chart his relationship with the ever-feminine sun, representing his contemplation of sexuality and religion.
The project, which Jacob created over the course of six years, opens with the spoken word dialogue of Tali Wenig, Jacob’s sister who he describes as his “wisest artistic muse.”
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Written by Jacob, the poetic intro traces Tali — who has ASD — as she “tries to make sense of it all” and “finds the words to say.”
The stirring dialogue is backed by subtle guitars and the sporadic tinkle of piano, with natural sound effects instantly setting the scene for the broader storytelling to come.
Second track ‘Ceiling Fans’ serves as an acoustic gem, dripping with rich guitar melodies and Jacob’s rustic vocal delivery.
It’s relatively sparse in terms of production — save for swelling backing strings and whirring synths — but the simplicity allows Jacob’s vulnerability to steal focus.
Often enhanced by echoed effects, he sings of self-esteem and the desire to be swept off his feet. It’s an effortlessly beautiful track, enriched by poetic lyrics like “trying to swallow the sun the way it swallows me.”
The simplistic beauty only continues on ‘Evaporate’, a folksy cut that brims with rustic percussion and shimmering keys. It’s driven by an iconic bassline and the subtle twang of country-sounding guitars.
Later, backing female vocals bring the song to heavenly heights, before a transition makes way for introspective lyrics questioning “how the moon receives light from the sun without catching on fire.”
The project gets its odyssey in the form of ‘Everlove’, a nearly seven-minute opus that dives deep into Jacob’s psyche to reflect on his choices, mistakes, and all “the moments and the chemistry.”
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Again, Jacob opts for unflashy instrumentation, like finger-picked guitars and subtle drums, while managing to bring texture with airy harmonies and piano.
He sings of the lessons learned from people during his travels, encountering homophobia and fleeting love.
Later on ‘Feel It Coming’, Jacob reflects in hushed vocals on the scars left after choosing to grow and heal, as soundtracked by melancholic guitars and propulsive bass.
“We want to expand,” he croons, “to expand we have to break.” Its lines like this that prove to be the major drawcard of ‘Son Called Moon’, as Jacob delivers a manifesto of life, love and heartbreak with incisive and poetic lyricism.
Elsewhere, Jacob taps Sarit Michael and Vivienne for ‘Permission’, a piano-driven ballad about desire and the sacrifices of love that features the album’s most resplendent vocals, before his story concludes with ‘Prologue (Daniel)’.
It offers a full-circle moment with more spoken word asides, and reflects the album’s most stirring tale of the boy Jacob fell in love with.
Jacob’s vulnerability is palpable, and he effortlessly delivers poetry like “somewhere in between the pleasure and the pain, there’s you.”
It’s a fitting closer to a body of work that’s as sonically blissful as it is heartbreaking, heralding Jacob as a true artist with an intimate yet universal story to tell.
‘Son Called Moon’ has already enjoyed a theatrical run in Melbourne, and Jacob is eyeing a potential Sydney edition to take place in September, 2025. In the meantime, get swept up in his beautiful storytelling with the full project below.
