Moaning: Uneasy Laughter review – Dreamy retro romanticism

The second release from Los Angeles-based band Moaning builds on their impressive 2018 debut, borrowing fuel from their years in the DIY scene to present a deeper exploration of the shards of glass through the oil painting.

Sean Solomon, Pascal Stevenson and Andrew MacKelvie’s perfect shorthand is born of a decade of collaboration, with Solomon’s doleful voice conveying a leavening quality, an interesting seriousness amid the playfulness.

Wearing attractive references up and down the record – a little bit Broadcast, a little bit New Order – their sense of retro romanticism is enlivening, rather than deadening. Ego is an impressive synth-led opener, and there is a Nirvana-like pallor over Make it Stop – a cousin to the mournful Stranger, taking us over the Atlantic to Joy Division, but then Running takes us somewhere else, with urgent guitars circling each other to desirous effect, mirroring a sense of anxiety that runs through the record like a busy stream.

Connect the Dots is all minimalist shimmery shoegaze, and the record shifts gears constantly, illustrating a burgeoning, expansive sensibility. Fall in Love is deeply immersive, yet restrained, Coincidence or Fate slips those restraints to deliver unfettered, frantic joy, and What Separates Us sounds like a Smiths B-side, all relatable despair and attendant guitars. Say Something began life as a folk song, but becomes an eerie, swirling electronic call to action, retaining the message, refining the work. Dreamy.