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Interviews

“Like setting free a wild animal”: Moniker chats his new single Look For The Sun

Last week, when Moniker unveiled his new single Look For The Sun, we were immediately immersed in his experimental synth-pop sounds. Alongside All Our Exes Live In Texas bandmember Georgia Mooney, Moniker delivered a single that’s both captivating and deeply unsettling.

So, fresh off the track’s release, we caught up with the artist himself to chat all about it, the mission statement behind this new project, and his quest to divulge wisdom from a fruit bat.

Fresh off the release of his new single Look For The Sun, we caught up with the always-mysterious Moniker for a chat.

HAPPY: Hey Moniker you mysterious thing! How’s it going? What are you up to at the moment (as in right now)?

MONIKER: Well, I just spent the night hanging upside down in my mandarin tree trying to communicate with a local fruit bat. I didn’t get anywhere with that one so now I’m answering your questions.

HAPPY: We’re loving Look For The Sun! How does it feel having the track out there in the world? It sounds like a fair amount of craft and time went into its production…

MONIKER: Thanks so much, I’m excited you’re loving the track! I spend so much time deep in the hole burrowing and snuffling my way through any new song that when it comes time to release it’s like setting free a wild animal that’s been stuck in a cage for too long. I picture myself standing on a cliff edge, the salty wind in my face and maybe the Blade Runner theme playing in the background – as I press send on my laptop.

HAPPY: Could you tell us a bit about the background, composition, how the track came about and was recorded?

MONIKER: Look For The Sun came about from that bass, kick and snare vibe in the verse. It instantly put me in a space – it had a kind of icy desperation to it and it felt like a warning or a wakeup call. From there I just started playing around with some epic synth layers and the lyrics started flowing. I don’t like to explain the intention too literally for my songs as everyone brings their own meaning to music when they listen – but the general vibe in this that we may just be getting too distracted for our own good. Shit is getting real and we might just be tuning in to the wrong station.

HAPPY: You’ve worked on a number of pretty interesting and diverse musical projects in the past. Moniker seems a really new project. Did you have an overall mission statement in mind when you kickstarted this new project?

MONIKER: Everywhere I look there are people saying they’ve got the answer to this problem or that thing. Moniker’s mission is to remind people there is always an alternative. That the beauty lies in the questions, not the answers.

HAPPY: Georgia Mooney brings so much to this new track. How did you two come to work together?

MONIKER: I was looking for a collaborator to sing this track with me and my producer had toured with Georgia in the past and, of course, I knew of her amazing band All Our Exes Live In Texas, so we reached out to her. Once we spoke, I knew I would move universes to have her involved.

HAPPY: Did you find having Georgia around forced you to view or evolve the song in unexpected directions?

MONIKER: From the first notes that Georgia sang, the track just came alive in a whole new way. She brings such a clear intention to the lyrics and her sound balances my robotic tone so beautifully. We ended up cutting more than a minute from the length of the track as the duet evolved which was a surprise. Georgia is such a generous and accomplished musician and all of her ideas were just on point. I feel super blessed to have her on the track.

HAPPY: Are there any particular artists you’re really loving at the moment?

MONIKER: I really like what Alex Cameron is up to, Holiday Sidewinder is great, I like Haiku Hands and Ngaiire and also Joan Banoit, who is a label mate on LazyThinking – watch out for him.

HAPPY: What’s next for Moniker? Any other exciting plans in the works?

HAPPY: I’ve got some really exciting tracks and videos up my sleeve which I can’t wait to drop, I’m refining the live show which is heaps of fun and I’ll keep you posted on that fruit bat. I really think she’s got something deep to share with us all – I just got to get her talking…

Look For The Sun is available now. Listen above.