Newmoon is a wonderful shoegaze band from Antwerp, Belgium, and Temporary Light is their third studio album. It came out in March and I am only now catching up with this review. Having previously recorded Space and the band’s debut EP Invitation To Hold, Newmoon enlisted engineer and producer Thomas Valkiers again to record this new release. Simon Scott of Slowdive did the mastering. The band consists of Conor Dawson (drums), Giel Torfs (vocals, guitar), Bert Cannaerts (vocals, guitar, bass), Philippe Corthout (keys, percussion), and Thomas Valkiers (additional guitar, vocals, percussion).
With music this ethereal and atmospheric, I almost always veer to how it makes me feel. These folks architect mesmerising sound paintings, works of art that will resonate with all fans of this genre. ‘Eternal Fall’ is the opening track, unfurling like a dew-kissed blossom in spring and gently caressing your aural senses. The resemblance to Slowdive is noted, and is appreciated by this listener. It is the kind of music I desperately need in these fraught times. ‘Still’ evokes the joy a child feels on opening a treasured music box. The softly swirling mix surrounds the vocal like a velvet cloak. And then it hits the bridge, and sonic splendour abounds. ‘Fading Phase’ is drenched in melancholy, and it dredges up past and present sorrows. It offers small chinks of light such as “Come back and feel warm, Unfold to be reborn” amidst the heaviness this song lays down. It is achingly lovely and it explodes into sonic oblivion.
‘Through the Glass’ is primo dream pop, a moody masterpiece that meanders calmly like a trickling brook before offering the listener an upbeat melody. ‘Crazing’ has an interesting start with percussion before slightly warped sounding guitars join in. Beyond the wall of guitars, it almost sounds like space rock at one point. ‘Sense of Longing’ reminds one of The Verve in their Storm from Heaven days, but it veers off stylistically into its own unique arrangement. The final knell in this marvellous collection is ‘Glance’, with swoops of hazy sound overlaying gauzy walls of reverb. It’s a sylvan daydream, like forest bathing except with the therapeutic power of music. In essence, this is a beautiful record that deserves repeated listens and is highly recommended for all dream pop and shoegaze fans.
