Influenced by ’80s acts such as Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, ’90s bands like Massive Attack and Portishead, and ’00s ones like Hurts, Moonshot are the duo of Dan Kent and Rich Wolfe. They’re new to our blog through their album, Angels Wear Black.

By Graeme Smith

Opening with the pulsating, fuzzy rhythms of Down to the Sea, we are gripped at once by Angels Wear Black. Spoken word vocals give us a touch of originality in a composition that isn’t quite rock and isn’t quite electronic. Aside from the aforementioned influences, I also detected a touch of cult legends The Faint in Moonshot’s sound.

Title track Angels Wear Black gives us some dark atmosphere while not sacrificing the driving tempo. The Down and Dirty Mix of Mercury slows things down for a reggae-esque moment. Sabotage is dark and full of longing while Your Blue Eyes Are Wasted (On Me) is smoky and sultry. Puppet King brings with it a sense of cinematic bombast and an unexpected Elvis reference. The Day I Learned To Stand Still has an exotic twist. Change Has Come to Stay simmers then soars. Cope livens things up again with a psychedelic moment before United States of Earth closes the album with a lingering, storytelling team up with Clare Portman.

There’s some beautiful poetry on display across the album’s ten tracks that really makes Moonshot stand out from the crowd. That combined with their original sound makes them a force to be reckoned with.

Angels Wear Black is out now and you can give it a listen below.