Melbourne artist Moon Elevator masters ambient transcendence on his latest EP, ‘All Bridges Burn Behind You’
Moon Elevator has delivered sonic transcendence with ‘All Bridges Burn Behind You’, an expansive EP that traces the Melbourne artist’s triumph and enlightenment in the wake of painful past experiences.
The six-track project — the brainchild of photographer and musician Gareth Sobey — is carried by a fever dream concoction of woozy shoegaze and cosmic post-punk, and sees Moon Elevator draw upon a range of genre touchstones en route to self-discovery.
‘All Bridges Burn Behind You’ is the result of a months-long process on Moon Elevator’s part, as the musician bunkered down in his home studio and taught himself the production ropes that weave throughout the tracklist.
By the end of the EP, Moon Elevator has recounted a tale that began with his anxiety-filled early-20s, his difficulty escaping the shadow of past traumas, and his ultimate discovery of a more joyful day to day existence.
All of it is bound by Moon Elevator’s deeply personal, bittersweet sound, and kicks off with the spacious ambience of EP opener ‘Washed Away’.
Minimal beats and blissed out textures provide the backdrop of an utterly enthralling track, punctuated by reverb laden guitars and snare drums.
Meanwhile, ‘January Sun’ veers towards staple shoegaze with pulsing chord progressions and fuzzy guitars.
That track is an ode to the transformative power of love within a long-term relationship, while ‘Hourglass’ treads the lyrical waters of a friend caught in cycle of repetition.
With soundscapes so rich, Moon Elevator might be forgiven for dealing in more simplistic tales, but the EP’s lyrics are just as rich as production used to express them.
On lead single ‘Warning Bell’, the artist finds himself lost in a subconscious maze soundtrack by spaghetti Western flourishes, while ‘The Shape Of Tomorrow’ coasts on unsettling, sinister synths to ruminate on breaking patterns of generational trauma.
“All the poison that we have harboured” Sobey croons in a soulful brood, “has all been swallowed down.”
Moon Elevator’s efforts culminate on ‘Illusions’, a worthy and more upbeat EP closer that plays with guitar arpeggios and a propulsive, urgent drumbeat.
Moon Elevator is set to launch the EP with a show Melbourne’s The Workers Club on October 17, but in the meantime, you can check out the ‘All Bridges Burn Behind You’ in all its atmospheric glory below.
