I won’t pretend it gets a lot of traction in the way of page views, but I really do enjoy discovering new acts from around the world who never, ever would have gotten on my radar if I was still on the hamster wheel of music PR like I was in a previous life. Instead, being able to go out and look for new artists and be wowed when I find them is… well, it’s nice.
Obviously it’s a good thing that I’m not averse to on-the-nose genre worship, at least not when it’s done well and convincingly. And Moon Cowboy, the pseudonym of Lisbon, Portugal’s Ricardo Fiel, definitely rates as that. Having released a series of EPs since 2021, including An Explosion Of Sound – out today. Its four tracks range from reverb-drenched atmospherics to electronically-propelled jams, all anchored by his gentle, Mojave 3-era Neil Halstead-channelling vocals. Is it the freshest take on the genre? No, but it sounds great, and I don’t think Fiel would be upset about my saying that – he’s wears his influences proudly, like immediately putting on the band t-shirt he buys at the show.
His own notes on the EP are:
I’m still in awe with the amazing reviews and reception for what I consider to be THE ep I’ve been wanting to do for a long long time. This is what I’ve been idealising for some time – the Ride melodies, the Slowdive vocals and guitars, the Spacemen 3 drones – everything that made me want to make music long long time ago, combined with the shoegaze-y shynts of Maps, the ambience of Hammock and just too many other influences to list here.
An Explosion Of Sound @ 1991 Recordings, Bandcamp
Of the standout track “Baby Jane”, released as a preview single in April, Fiel says:
“you could close your eyes and be pelting through the stars… Slowdive with a Neil Halstead like lead vocals… There are hints of Ride too… Moon Cowboy have done ever so well here” This early review caught what I wanted “baby jane” to sound like so well – a quintessential shoegaze summer anthem. If the last single “beehive” was me experimenting with some electronica, “baby jane” is all about going back to that 14 year old listening to Ride’s Nowhere for the first time and realizing an electric guitar and a great melody could change someone’s world. It sure did change mine.
“Baby Jane” @ 1991 Recordings, Bandcamp
