The genre you propose is a Progressive Rock with different contaminations and 70s reminiscences, where does your passion for these sounds come from?
Dave: We are definitely big fans of music from “classic rock” period in the 60s and 70s but our influences are actually pretty diverse. It seems like the “prog” term gets added to any band that plays longer songs with multiple time signatures but we aren’t trying to do that stuff to sound like anyone in particular, its just what happens when we write.
The band members come from different backgrounds and groups. How was this project born?
Dave: I had been playing in metal bands for a few years but was read to return to a more rock oriented project. I put an ad in classified looking for a drummer and got a reply from Michael Trew. Once I heard his vocals I knew immediately that he was special and we began cooking up the beginnings of what would become Moon Letters. Michael brought in Mike Murphy and John Allday. I knew that we needed a really special “x-factor” drummer and I asked Kelly Mynes, an old friend who I’d always wanted to start a band with, if he was free. It turned out the the timing was right and he was into the project. Everyone really brought their own unique voice and the band was born.
Your album “Thank You From the Future” was released on August 08, 2022. How would you describe this work?
Dave: Thank You From the Future is our 2nd album. We released “Until They Feel the Sun” in 2019. I think the new album represents big steps forward in terms of song writing and production. We had time throughout the pandemic to demo the songs, sometimes multiple times, and keep tweaking them and adding layers. That seems to have paid off as we are super proud of the album. The new album is much more of a headphone listen, with lots of fun little overdubs and some really bizarre and weird stuff deep in the mix. There are a couple things I keep hoping a reviewer will mention but no one has yet so we’ll see!
Long-lasting tracks and sophisticated musical textures in addition to the lyrics, what are the themes of the album?
Michael: We were going for a few new sounds on this record. Robert Cheek, our producer, really captured Kelly’s powerhouse drumming, and Mike’s very articulate bass work. Lyrically, one listener said this album seems a bit more stream of consciousness than linear storytelling.
Your music is full of tempo changes and elaborate textures. How does the compositional process take place?
Dave: For the new album most of the songs started as demos that one individual member wrote. During the peak of the pandemic we had to send tracks back and forth via email but once we were able to get together in a room, then we were able to really workshop things. While the initial demos were complete songs, the final versions often sound pretty different because of all the bits that each member brings to the table. Sometimes additional riffs or sections were even added to the song. So while each song usually started with one band member, its safe to say that we all contribute and that each member is an important part of the songwriting process. If one person were missing it would sound quite different.
In addition to the music, the lyrics are also refined. What themes do they deal with?
Michael: I suppose the present, and future of humans. Things like climate change events and the pandemic have brought many thoughts of “how will we carry on/ where are we going?”. So various stories of end of the world/into the new world, be it space travel or inner evolution.
From: https://progrockjournal.com/interview-exclusive-interview-with-moon-letters/
