Liverpool's Ernest Moon return with 'Unkind', previewing sophomore LP ‘Skipping To Maloo’

June 4, 2022

"These Liverpudlians make a great entry, wetting sonic appetites for more of their awesome nonsense... lyrical wit as entertaining as the Sultans of Ping at the best of times" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Hypnotic... Poignant... wholly addictive" ~ Peek-a-Boo Magazine

"Blend of the profound and the profane, the witty and the wise" ~ Dancing About Architecture

Liverpool-based indie rock outfit Ernest Moon will be releasing their new album 'Skipping to Maloo' on June 15, offering us a preview of the lead single 'Unkind' in the meantime.

Ernest Moon are Steven Doran and Brian Murphy, two highly creative songsters with a gift for wise cracks and impactful one-liners, brought together by a liking for eggs on toast. They offer lush lyrics, heavy hands and a rat-arsed sincerity. Their sound has been described as pushy pop, "filling the gap between pretentious lyrical art and bog standard pop music".

This album was recorded and mixed in the past few years during lockdowns at Liverpool's Ark Recording Studios by Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band) and Rory Ballantyne. Their songs are as meandering in style and sound as their musical taste, drawing on influences such as The Blockheads, Arab Strap, Talking Heads and The Specials.

"The song 'Unkind' was born out of a chord progression that came to me over time. The mood of these chords and the sway of a slow 6/8 rhythm seemed to suggest the ardent theme and lyrics," says Brian Murphy.

"The song starts with general statements we are told and subsequently live by. The later verse moves from the general to the personal and my own moods and desires. I wanted the chorus to be as simply written as possible. A innocent plea in a narcissistic age."

Since forming in 2017, Ernest Moon has released two EPs, debuting with their 'Ba-jesus' EP, recorded at Orphan Recording in Dublin with Peter Ashmore and Gavin Glass (Paul Brady, John Grant, Lisa Hannigan, Mundy), followed by the electric crack 6-track collection entailed in the 'UH' EP, released in 2019 and recorded in Barcelona by Marc Antoli.

Previous to that, Brian and Steve supplied the guitars and words for a now-defunct band called Betty Backskuttle, a band they say was infamously vain and famously unfriendly.

Unkind' may be obtained via Bandcamp, where the 'Skipping to Maloo' LP can also be pre-ordered. As of June 15, it will be available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music and Spotify.

CREDITS
Written by and performed by Brian Murphy and Steven Doran
Recorded & mixed at Ark Studios, Liverpool
Recorded & mixed by Rory Ballantyne and Steven Powell
Drums by Jake Woodward
Strings and vocals by Amy Chalmers and Vicky Reid
Cover artwork and promo photography by Tommy Wood

Liverpool's music mavericks Ernest Moon return with 'Big Wow' single

May 1, 2021

"Pop punk full of spunk. These Liverpudlians make a great entry, full speed ahead in overdrive and wetting sonic appetites for more of their awesome nonsense... lyrical wit as entertaining as the Sultans of Ping at the best of times" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Hypnotic... Poignant... wholly addictive and reaching back to old-school punk for its influence" ~ Peek-a-Boo Magazine

"Blend of the profound and the profane, the witty and the wise, this sonic route that swerves between belligerent pop, post-punkery, warped indie and the sort of uniqueness that only seems to come from their fair city that makes their music so great" ~ Dancing About Architecture

Liverpool-based outfit Ernest Moon presents 'Big Wow', a short whimsical single they describe as a "throwaway tune about the ways of a working class young'un from round our way sometime in the not too distant past."

In 'Big Wow', the language is straight out the gob of the protagonist....Johnny B.. a sixteen year old skally....with starlit dreams of cars and girls and toilets on every floor.

Ernest Moon are Steven Doran and Brian Murphy, two English no-marks of limited musical ability, brought together by a liking for eggs on toast. Hailing from Liverpool, they offer lush lyrics, heavy hands and a rat-arsed sincerity. Somewhat punky, their sound has been described as pushy pop, "filling the gap between pretentious lyrical art and bog standard pop music".

"The music in this song is the most obvious stuff a couple of crappy musicians of our generation from Liverpool could produce. In Liverpool there is a tradition for poppy rock'n'rolly guitar music so its natural this kind of tune comes out the other end when you start playing. But there is a diversion from the obvious in the song in that the lyrics are more crafted and worked than one would normally encounter in Pap music. Even if we say so ourselves," says Steve.

In the three years of Ernest Moon's existence, they've released two heart-stopping EPs. Their songs are as meandering in style and sound as their musical taste, drawing on influences such as The Blockheads, Arab Strap, Talking Heads and The Specials.

Previously, Brian and Steve supplied the guitars and words for a now-defunct band called Betty Backskuttle, a band they say was infamously vain and famously unfriendly.

'Big Wow' was recorded during the lockdown at Liverpool's Ark Recording Studios by Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band) and Rory Ballantyne. Several years ago, the band debuted with their 'Ba-jesus' EP, recorded at Orphan Recording in Dublin with Peter Ashmore and Gavin Glass (Paul Brady, John Grant, Lisa Hannigan, Mundy), foreshadowed by the witty drunken single 'Satdeenight Ready'. They followed up with their 'Uh' EP in July 2019.

'Big Wow' is a prelude to the band's impending 8-track release with Violette Records this coming summer "It's a taster of what that release will not sound like. A bit of careless crack while waiting," says Brian.

As of April 29, 'Big Wow' will be available digitally via iTunes and for Spotify. It can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Recorded during the lockdown at Ark Recording studios (Liverpool)
Recorded by Steve Powell and Rory Ballantyne
Copyright BoBo records

Steven - guitar and voice

Brian - bass and blowhole

Jake Woodward - drums

Cover photo by Dave Jones

Cover design by Mark Jordon

Blond girl photo by Mickey Rimmer

Girl close up photo by Stuart Lee

Boy and girl kissing photo by Ernest Moon