What do you get when you merge the sound of Kevin Starrs meeting Josh Homme on an acid trip in a dark Scandinavian winter? You’d have the sound of Sonic Moon, a heavy psych/stoner band formed in Denmark in 2016 and releasing their debut album, Return Without Any Memory, on August 4th.
Sonic Moon brings heavy guitar riffs, drowned in fuzz and delay, carried by a swaying drum and bass section. It’s all complemented by raw and melodic vocals, and the lyrics “consume the remaining light and touch on subjects like nihilism, sorrow, and anger.” No Flower Power in this psych, folks.
About Return Without Any Memory
Sonic Moon has toured Denmark and released a smattering of singles and EPs since forming in 2016, but this new record will be their debut full-length. They spent the better part of two years creating this contrasting and riff-based take on psychedelic stoner rock. The 7-track self-recorded debut will drop via Olde Magick Records on August 4, 2023.
The band has already drawn attention from the heavy underground. The first single, “Give It Time,” was released on May 12th and premiered by the stoner rock blog, The Sleeping Shaman. The music video for the single was published on the 666MrDoom’s YouTube channel.
Return Without Any Memory has a dark and heavy groove that introduces the band’s shared feeling of encapsulated loneliness, anger, and frustration, all played with a refined sound produced with delicate care, effort, and soul that Sonic Moon put into the album’s production.
The album will be available on vinyl in two editions: “Blue Moon” and “Cloudy Splatter” on Bandcamp. It was recorded by Sonic Moon, mixed and mastered by Haldor Grunberg at Satanic Audio, and artwork by Mirkow Gastow. Sonic Moon is Oliver, Emil, Niclas, Jeppe, and Emil.
The Songs
The album starts with “The Waters,” a six-minute-plus track that opens with a down-tuned stoner sludge that many will love. The riff repetition has all the hallmarks of excellent stoner rock, and the deep vocals match the mood. The psychedelia kicks in soon as layers of distorted guitar briefly add a new dimension to the track before a new verse. “The Waters” is a rad way to start the album and lets us know this is a Doom-Charts-worthy album.
“Tying Up The Noose” comes next. Shit, that’s dark! Sonic Moon says much of the album takes on themes of nihilism and sorrow, and they aren’t kidding. The vocals in this song are a bit more emotive, and they remind me of the delivery of many classic ‘90s alt-rock and grunge-era bands.
“Give It Time” is the single off the record and one of the best tracks. It’s heavy in the best way possible, bringing an exuberant energy reminiscent of Motörhead. The vocal delivery is great – a gloomy tone that works well with the music.
“Through the Snow” is on the longer side at just over five minutes and conjures images of Scandinavian murder mysteries written by authors like Jo Nesbø. This song is one the slower and more melodic on the album, bringing a haunting ballad-like vibe on a record otherwise filled with bangers. It’s a cool song and something that fits the track title perfectly – you can picture the freeze of a Scandinavian winter and trace Sonic Moon’s steps through the snow.
“Head Under River” cranks the volume up again and is another song with a starkly depressing title. It boasts another killer, crunchy riff, and the vocals sound great in the distorted haze effect they used. We should also mention the thunderous drumming displayed on the track, as with most others on the album.
“Distant” boasts an excellent, throbbing, sludgy bassline complimented by equally ominous lead guitar playing. The album closes with “Hear Me Now,” another track title that evokes sorrow. At this point, I realized you could classify many of the songs and themes behind them with gothic vibes – not in the emo sense, but more so in the spirit of classic gothic art. The album could, in a sense, be a soundtrack for Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights – dark, brooding, moody, and full of forbidden thoughts and passions.
Final Thoughts
Sonic Moon has put together a great debut album, Return Without Any Memory, that should be well-received by the heavy underground. It’s fascinating to me sometimes how something like this could be classified as psychedelic. I would say it’s more so a stoner rock record with heavy doom influences, but there’s enough psychedelic flair and effects to fall under the heavy psych umbrella.
Return Without Any Memory reminded me of two recent albums by Black Lung and Hail The Void, which were both great. Sonic Moon’s debut follows along the same lines with the same heavy stoner riffs, thick bass lines, and dark and haunting vocals. Fans of Black Lung and Hail the Void then should enjoy this one – so head over to Bandcamp, consider pre-ordering the vinyl, and add this new stoner/heavy psych to your collection.
Pre-order Return Without Any Memory by Sonic Moon on Bandcamp here.
Support Sonic Moon by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Facebook, Instagram).
Parting words: “Everything you do leaves traces, doesn’t it? The life you’ve lived is written all over you, for those who can read.” – Jo Nesbø
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