New Music: brightmoon – First Light

I’m automatically going to be interested in a band whose name references She-Ra, but I have to say, I Adora (sorry, not sorry) First Light.

There might be an air of familiarity to First Light, largely down to the musical history of the band prior to the formation of California outfit brightmoon, named after a rebel stronghold in the animated TV series. Wife-and-husband duo Becca and Billy Mohler were the rhythm section for doom pop outfit War Tapes, while Billy has also had a high-profile career working with artists as diverse as Dolly Parton, Macy Gray, Lady Gaga, Sia, and Allison Krauss.

That versatility comes into play on First Light on which Billy Mohler arranged and played all the instruments: initially it can be perceived as shoegaze-adjacent, with reverb guitars having a strong presence. Becca Mohler’s vocal delivery adds to that, with a voice reminiscent of Alison Shaw’s childlike innocence, combined with Miki Berenyi’s angelic emoting.

And yes, there’s a role for the music of Lush, My Bloody Valentine too, in the arrangement; however, the Mohlers also bring other influences into play as well, with a strong alt-rock ambience in the percussion and production. There, you can hear traces of Sonic Youth and The Smashing Pumpkins – in fact, they toured with the latter as members of War Tapes. I wouldn’t categorise First Light as either alt-rock or shoegaze; rather, it finds a crossing point between the two, intriguing and inventive, leaving me wanting to hear more of what they have in store for us.

First Light is the title track of the band’s new EP, which is set for release on the 22^nd of May via UK shoegaze label Noon Records. For EP news and streaming options for brightmoon’s music, head to their Instagram feed.

Header photo by Robbie Jeffers