Real love takes its sweet time revealing itself. The head-over-heels thing is a fantasy, one that ultimately confuses the heart and brain, causing more stress than release. But real love? That shit clarifies everything, syncing the heart with the brain in a way words will never be able to properly describe. Hey, they don't call it a labor of love for nothing.
Music, however, comes close to describing it. The swelling of a certain harmony with a certain phrase has the power to elicit a feeling like real love—heartbreak included. One needn't look much further than L.A. outfit LO MOON's debut album for proof. The self-titled project ebbs and flows with the gentle patience of a knowing lover, keen with desire but resistant for the relationship's sake.
Through 10 sprawling tracks, LO MOON revels in the sacred melodrama of romance. Matt Lowell's vocals are gentle, vulnerable when necessary but strong throughout. There's nary a hint of bitterness to be found. Instead, elements of complacency are riddled throughout, but nothing's ever angry ("Camouflage"). When Lowell sings, "Don't marry me for my money, I've got this love for you honey" on "My Money," it's done so in earnest. Bassist Crisanta Baker and guitarist Samuel Stewart's work amplifies that message with ease—something LO MOON brims with across the board.
The brilliance of LO MOON lies in that ease. They're atmosphere creators, often looking to the sky for answers while simultaneously being content with their current condition. Songs like "All In" speak to that sublime limbo of giving in to love with its late night-driving beat and glistening piano chords. "TTMYMO" (Try To Make You My Own) captures that feeling of longing without any sense of melancholy. The willingness to endure shines here. LO MOON took their time with this album, and it shows. They make love believable. They make love feel wonderful. They make love feel attainable. The grandiosity of it all isn't in a bass drop of guitar solo but rather in diligence. Passion doesn't always show itself in bedroom beats and suggestive lyrics. It can be found in restraint and patience, and it's always, always worth the wait.
