Any regular readers of Unrecorded will be well aware of our proclivity for indie and rock sounds, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like to wander from the well-worn path once in a while. This diversion has brought us to the project of Toronto-based artist Päter, who also typically leans into the indie-rock soundsphere, as listeners will find with her recent singles ‘Nicotine Hallelujah’ and ‘Something // Way’. However, with this latest release ‘Moonshine’, the musician explores the softer, more vulnerable side of her songwriting.
As Päter shares of her unconventional release: “So far you’ve heard an upbeat indie rock sound from me, here’s a little something different. Moonshine is a piano based Alt Pop ballad about loneliness and longing. I wanted to capture the volatile stillness that comes in times of deep despair.”
The track itself opens with a lullaby-esque chime melody, which is almost overly sweet, but by the same token it serves as a disarming introduction. From here, the artist paints a vivid picture of solitude, lonely nights, and longing, in which her only friend through her despair is the moon in the sky. It’s an interesting symbol to orientate your song around, as the moon has traditionally represented sadness, stillness, unrequited love, and also the feminine side of human experience. Perhaps through ‘Moonshine’, Päter wishes to explore this side of her fragility. This doesn’t mean that vulnerability needs to be quiet and intimate in its entire, as well proven by the song’s explosive crescendo. Here the lullaby piano gives way to post-industrial percussion, an impassioned horn section, and Päter‘s voice transforms into a powerhouse battalion. In this section, the repeated refrain, “moon, / take me away, / no I can’t, / no longer, / no longer, / stay unrequited, / not explained, / unaccepted,” changes from a poignant reflection on where it all seemingly went awry into a determined and confident flip of the script.
In immediate antithesis to that bold crescendo, ‘Moonshine’ returns to the lullaby chime for its outro, with the wishful words, “And I will owe you my life,” resonating through these final moments.
You can also find ‘Moonshine’ in our Outsiders Club and Shades of Pop playlists.
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