With a wide variety of influences from rock to EDM and a desire to reach out and touch as many people as possible, New York alternative band Moonfall are poised for greatness. Their new EP, Empty Cage, out November 3rd via Outerloop Records is a cumulation of each members’ inspirations and aspirations, from bassist Mei Moor‘s desire to forge her own path with her talent, the urge to create an emotional outlet for vocalist Matthew Howl or even the connection that drummer Andrew Chow feels at a live show. Whatever music may mean to you, Moonfall want to tap into it, and by doing so, they’re essentially inviting listeners to be a part of their world.
Known for their versatile musicianship and their experimentation with genres since their
formation, Moonfall’s new EP, Empty Cage promises to be some of their best work to date. While you patiently wait for the November 3rd release date, get to know a little bit more about Moonfall and listen to their track, “Lost” below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about Moonfall for any readers who might not be familiar?
Andrew: Of course! We’re a three-piece alternative band from New York City.
Matthew: We don’t really fall under one genre, all three of us have many different influences and we merge them together to make our songs.
You’ve mentioned before that a big goal for Moonfall is to be able to bring people together. Why do you feel that music is one of those universal languages that connects people?
Matthew: Music reaches inside very quickly. When you hear people singing along together the notes reverberate through the air and it becomes sort of a unifying experience. We’ve always watched those big arena concerts when we were young, and that’s still a driving force in us today. People have a tendency to divide and separate themselves from others, which is important for individuality, but it can disconnect you from this world and make you feel like you’re alone. When you sing along to a song with other people, who in that moment feel the same way you do, it opens something up inside. It’s a very unique feeling that doesn’t exist in many places.
What was it that first inspired you to get involved in music and begin giving back to that community?
Andrew: I think for me it was always a part of my life even before it became an inspirational thing. That specific moment for me though was seeing my favorite bands play live and just feeling the synergy between the band and the audience. Everyone singing along, feeling the same exact emotions regardless of race, gender, religion and all of that nonsense. Everyone just felt at home and was essentially in the presence of family. I believe that music gives people a voice that they normally might not have and brings together people that normally would have never have found each other otherwise. I mean, I think this band is living proof of that. So if anything, I kind of wanted to return the favor and hopefully inspire and possibly ignite some flames in the lives of others.
Matthew: I was inspired by music’s ability to amplify moments and feelings. Things that you experience in your life become entangled with the music you are listening to.
It can serve as an escape, but also as a way to find out more about yourself. That’s the reason why people get so invested in it.
Mei: For me it was the bass. I can’t explain it, but I fell in love with this instrument. I began exploring a different side of my favorite songs, actually listening to the instrument behind the vocals and the way they bounce of off each other. Many great bassists have inspired me to explore that instrument more deeply. Ultimately I felt as if it was my calling to push the boundaries of what bass can do in these modern days, and how it is being integrated into a song. Being a part of Moonfall, I hope to one day inspire others that same way.
You touch on these themes a little bit on your upcoming EP, Empty Cage. Can you tell us a little more about what inspired the songs on the EP?
Matthew: The EP is a collection of stories I’ve gathered while meeting people in many different places. And how they’ve dealt with hardships in their lives. Losing something is always difficult, having to suddenly adjust yourself to a different life than you’ve known. It’s a very confusing thing to have to go through.
Mei: I think this EP holds a story for everyone, different people can relate to different songs in it.
What would you like listeners to be able to take away from Empty Cage?
Matthew: We wanted to write songs that people will be able to listen to over and over, but still have impact. If they could take something away, it’d be that there’s no real solution to going through tough times other than going forward. People will always assign their own meanings and reflect on their own stories when hearing those of others, as long as it makes them feel something, that’s good enough for us.
Mei: I’d like them to become more aware of their own strength, even within chaos. Embracing chaos and emerging from the other side of it is an inevitable part of life.
How do you feel you’ve grown as people and musicians with the creation of the EP?
Andrew: I feel like we’ve all matured a bit in this process. I’ve grown more open minded to different ways of writing music. We’ve continued to explore our sound and what we want to achieve and we’ve gotten better at zoning in on what makes us the musicians we are. In terms of composition, I think we’ve learned to pick and choose what goes into our songs a lot more selectively which in turn allows each part to shine that much more.
You recently released “Colorless” from the EP – what inspired this song?
Andrew: EDM definitely inspired this particular track. There was a point in our writing process where I was listening to nothing but EDM and I really wanted to create something with a similar vibe and tone. The feeling of huge singalongs and melodic electronic lead lines was something that I wanted to try and capture and convey with this track alongside that rock edge that we always bring to our songs. We essentially wanted to bring the best of both worlds.
Matthew: We’ve always used synths in our music, but Colorless has a song structure that compliments it in a different way.
With the EP out soon, do you have any plans to play any shows or hit the road?
Matthew: We’re on tour with Echo Black right now, and we’re playing all along the east coast.
Mei: The last show of the tour will be a hometown show in NYC on November 2nd, so come say hi!
Do you have any other big plans or goals for the rest of 2017?
Matthew: We’ve been writing a lot of new songs, so maybe we’ll go back into the studio and record soon.
Andrew: You’ll have to wait and see.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Andrew: Thank you to all the readers and please be sure to keep up with us! Our brand new EP will released via Outerloop Records on November 3rd so be sure to pre-order yours wherever available.
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