Free at Noon Flashback: Lo Moon continues their slow burn at World Cafe Live

Lo Moon | photo by Liz Waldie for WXPN

Ah, Lo Moon. The mysterious, mysterious band who came out of seemingly nowhere with their hit song, “Loveless,” last year. I was introduced to the group — comprised of Matt Lowell, Crisanta Baker, Sam Stewart, and touring drummer Sterling Laws — when prepping to see them at NonCOMM last May.  And though I clasped my super-sleuthing cap on tight in detective-like determination, I could find nothing, save the lone 7 minute-long, slow-burning and soaring atmospheric rock track.

This Friday, WXPN welcomed back the LA-based band as one of the three inaugural Slingshot artists for a moody and ambient Free at Noon. Still as enigmatic as ever, Lo Moon has just released one new track, “This Is It,” along with a live performance of their 80s pop hook track, “Real Love” with KCRW.  In an information-overload world of instant gratification, their patient material-reveal timeline whispers a sort of magical, otherworldly feel to their music.

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This absence of recorded tracks, in turn, makes their live performances even more enthralling; like Friday, when hearing new songs felt like finding savored clues in constructing the Lo Moon puzzle, and hinted at the wide expanse of styles and influences to fill their awaited upcoming album with Columbia Records.

Because though “Loveless” has already offered elements of Phil Collins / Genesis through their characteristically steadfast slow-build, and insanely essential gated reverb drums, hearing new tracks widened their soundscape horizon even further, and effectively halted any kind of singular one-box description of the band.

Swaying from smooth hip-hop vibes to an electric club dance party, to a spacey grandness mixed with a grunge garage jam sesh, Lo Moon travelled through genres with impeccable control. This ability was especially highlighted when Lowell took to the piano for a solo lovelorn ballad, which he noted was the first time ever performing by himself in front of a big crowd, and uncovered yet another side to the band.

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Piece together more of the mystery when Lo Moon returns to Philly at Boot & Saddle on November 7th. Find tickets and info on the show at the XPN Concert Calendar, and check out photos from Friday’s set below.