After releasing a series of singles and performing live all summer, including on several festival stages, Canadian electro-folk duo MOONTRICKS are excited to finally share their debut full-length album Currents, out today (9/9) on Westwood Recordings. Based in the rustic Kootenay mountains of Western Canada, Moontricks–Nathan Gurley and Sean Rodman–draw inspiration from the ongoing cycles of the natural world. With Currents, the duo reveals an ever-evolving, cohesive blend of introspective writing, soulful, gritty blues, boot-stomping basslines, and intricate electronic arrangements.

 

Stream and buy Currents on all digital platforms: https://wstwd.io/currents 

 

“Currents is a testament to following paths into the unknown with grace,” Rodman shares. “It carries the cycles between the acceptance and the struggle of having no control over the unfolding of time. There is a steady articulation through the songs of settling into the comfort and trust in that to be lost and searching is an intrinsic reality that holds beautiful authenticity.

 

“The inspiration that we draw from the natural world is weaved through the roots of phases. The album concept came from our respect for the continuous and steadfast phases and cycles in nature that carry us despite the chaos that we create in our own internal worlds. The solace and respite that can be found reaching out past our own confines into the vastness beyond them is what we return to again and again in nature and in our music.”

 

Vast, intimate, and dazzling, Currents is an album about settling into feeling comfortably lost and being okay with not knowing it all. It’s about finding joy and inspiration in the act of seeking.

 

These sentiments reverberate on the hypnotic opening track “Forest Of My Soul,” which was “written in the face of struggle and turbulent times,” Rodman shares. “It’s about being lost and searching to find solace in the natural world outside of our own confines.” Gurley adds, “‘Forest Of My Soul’ holds true to our respect and reverence for the natural world and the inspiration we draw from it and our rural beginnings.” 

 

On “The Edge,” a collaborative track with Dirtwire, heavy driven guitars and soulful vocals meander through the lush soundscape on the journey through the song — a gritty anthem for change. Things pick up a bit on the groove-ready “Embers,” which represents a ceremonious burning of thinking patterns, as Rodman explains, “Sitting with a fire and mulling through the shadows of the mind, deep in the night.” Elsewhere, “Parting Ways,” a track featuring multi-instrumentalist/producer KR3TURE, tackles “contemplation of severing ties with falsehoods and darkness while sifting through the impossible paradox of discerning the many shades of right and wrong. On the journey of shifting and letting go of any preconceived notions, the goodbye is never easy.” And with “Animals,” a slow burn track that infuses a powerfully evocative vocal performance with boot-stomping spirit, Moontricks collect yet another dimension into their growing dynamism as artists and performers.

“We’ve had the luxury of time over the last two years for reflecting and honing in our craft,” Gurley shares. “The new music we’ve written holds a multitude of pieces we’ve gathered along the journey and put together in a mosaic of themes, emotions and stories.” 

Moontricks–who had been establishing themselves on the festival circuit before the pandemic–are staying out on the road throughout the end of the year in support of the new music. Tomorrow (9/10) kicks off a week-long celebration with a special hometown album release show at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom. The duo will then perform throughout the Pacific Northwest with stops in Eugene, Portland, Seattle, and Bellingham, before a set at Rifflandia Festival.