VOCAL LONER – Man on the Moon (2022)
Through their single ‘Man on the Moon’, VOCAL LONER is putting a new spin on clichéd love songs. Moving away from the hopeless romantic, first-person perspective many love songs use, they tell the story of a woman falling in love with the idea of a man rather than the man himself. With a simple melody and chord progressions, their first original song is a delightfully different approach to a type of song that is rather common.
While different to many other love songs, this track is just as compelling in its storytelling as a personal first-person tale. Drawing on a diverse range of inspiration, VOCAL LONER uses their self-taught musical ability to tell relatable stories. While their ethereal cover of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ pinged listener’s radar, this first original song is sure to leave you wanting more.
‘Man on the Moon’ plucks against your ears with a tone that is reminiscent of rain falling on a pavement. The misty tones that hover in the higher levels of the track soften the plucked tones of the opening. These progressive chords that move through the lower levels of the music form the basis for the guitars to grow. While the overall feeling of the music is tender and soft, there is a wonderful build that leads to the crest later in the track. As the single progresses and more instrumental layers build, a melancholic undertone is introduced that makes the single somewhat bittersweet. You can feel the delicate fingers of love and happiness, only for them to turn cold.
The movement of the music enhances the powerful emotive flow of the vocals. Their performance opens with the bliss of falling in love, only to almost instantly be hit with the knowledge that nothing is going as it should. Through the lyrics, you are drawn into the story of a woman falling in love, only to realise that the man she loved is not who she assumed. There is an intricate interplay of emotions and justifications of actions that is really touching. As the melody builds, their vocals continue their interplay, bolstered by the bittersweet touches of the music. In the latter parts of the single, their vocals send shivers through you as the power of the emotions woven into each word really hit home.
VOCAL LONER draws us into a bittersweet story of loving an ideal and not a person with their emotive performance in ‘Man on the Moon’. The music uses chord progressions to perfection as it builds through the soundscape. Their vocals are emotive from start to finish as they really bring the bittersweet feeling of the track to life.
Find out more about VOCAL LONER on their Instagram and Spotify.
