June 25, 2019
“If only I could stay the night as a friend, if only we could live no regrets…” The last lines of Monsoon Moon’s debut hang heavy. The single, ‘Just Friends’ is a strong offering about whether impulsive decisions prove to be the best ones.
From the artist formerly known and beloved as Command Q, ‘Just Friends’ is the tip of an iceberg of music from the WA musician; stirring and ready to go.
Throwing himself deeper into music and songwriting after wrapping up the Command Q project in 2017, Monsoon Moon (aka Shaun Pickett) presents a new facet of his artistry with this new project.
Self-aware and open, Monsoon Moon produces music with evocative strength in its production and insatiable delivery. ‘Just Friends’ was recorded in Melbourne with the heavyweight producer Joel Quartermain before returning home in Perth to be mixed and mastered by Shaun himself at Digital Bath Studios.
The result, a wicked cut of indie-electronic in the same vein as Everything Everything and Alt-J that takes in feelings of regret, vulnerability and longing. “I was once wildly in love, and like every love-drunk musician before me, I had the original idea of writing a song for my lover. But, like most good things, our love didn’t last and I was left with an unfinished song and a healthy plate of regret. The song was now a lie! I started to think, “Wouldn’t it have been better if we never got together in the first place? Why couldn’t we have stayed Just Friends?”’ Monsoon Moon
listen here
The debut of the Monsoon Moon project is a stride forward into a new spotlight for Pickett. With Command Q, he stepped onto a global stage with fellow DJ Louis Frere-Harvey, copping a much-envied co-sign after being noticed by Diplo and Skrillex, eventually signing with Mad Decent and OWSLA in 2015.
Earning love from triple j and tastemakers around the country, Command Q quickly became an in-demand name. The ensuing five years were spent on the road, extensively touring and levelling up production and show wise, yet as the duo were fast enjoying the peak of their career, elements of their creative drive were changing.
The DJ decks and crazy tour life have been put away. Pickett shifts into a new mode of musicality wit his own vocals and searing production. “The party scene was becoming lost on us. We felt tired and worn down by it, sensing a deeper need to express ourselves with greater emotional contrast. Maybe change is inevitable, as an artist you grow and evolve. All I know now is that I want to express myself beyond ‘dabs’ in an underground EDM dungeon with ravers. I hope I can give that to you with Monsoon Moon.” Monsoon Moon
As 2019 turns into its second half, Monsoon Moon prepares the next instalment of a growing body of work. ‘Just Friends’ is a snapshot of the type of music fans can expect as more Monsoon Moon sounds come to life, and a catchy taster at that. Eyes wide open, this is only the beginning.
‘Just Friends’ is released Friday 28th June
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram