TALK TUESDAY / Who is Moonbeau and Why Should You Start Listening to Them?

by Shaye Sicurella

I started scrolling through my Spotify playlist to see just how my music taste has evolved over the years. From LMFAO, Bleachers, The Sonder Bombs, to BROCKHAMPTON, it’s safe to say my music taste doesn’t really stay in one genre. One group in particular stood out to me as I was scrolling through because my love for them was recently re-ignited. Moonbeau.

Moonbeau is a synth-pop group from Cincinnati, OH. What first started off as a solo project consisting of just lead singer Christian Gough in 2015, has branched out to include Claire Muenchen (keys & vocals) and Alex Murphy-White (drums). In 2017, the group signed to Old Flame Records and has been a force to be reckoned with ever since.

But what makes them so great? The harmonies of Gough and Muenchen are powerful and dynamic while the layering of synth over rhythmic guitar and percussion parallels that of early INXS. Their style belongs in every John Hughes movie as the soundtrack. Their stage presence is phenomenal and I’m glad I got to see them live in 2018 at Bunbury Music Festival and talk to them for a little bit afterwards. They are humble and love to talk about what pushes them to create. Much like my love for Bleachers, Moonbeau has made the new wave of synth their own.

The release of their self-titled album in 2018 was full of music that kept you dancing and encaptured the feeling of a new love and everything that comes with it. In October of this year, they released their sixth single ​Think Fast / Lay Down​. I look forward to the release of their new album (hopefully soon) because I could use a little bit more synth in my life. Here’s to 2020 and finding new music and artists (or old artists) that make you feel more alive!