Recently I was introduced to Icelandic/Russian psychedelic duo Pale Moon via their single, “Exile”. Lead by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Árni Guðjónsson, they recently unleashed their debut EP, “Dust of Days”, and have landed on the radar of tastemakers far and wide with their signature mix of ear worm melodies, dreamy production and captivating lyrics.
While the groups members have all had success individually as part of other projects, they feel right at home with Pale Moon. Having initially met in Barcelona, it was a trip to Mexico that set the tone for the new project and helped to cultivate the smooth, summertime ready vibe that Pale Moon brings to the table.
Lead single, “Exile”, was the first track written by the Arni and Nata while in Iceland on a musical retreat at Arnie’s old family farmhouse. The chill, endorphin inducing tune relies on surf inspired guitar melodies, vocals drenched in reverb and delay, and an all around undeniable vibe to set the tone for their debut project. Along with the single comes an epic one shot video that is well worth a watch (or 20).
About the tune, Arni says, “This song is written by me, Árni and the core of it, which is the guitar strumming was born while our month-long trip to Mexico. We live in cold Iceland ,so we were very high on vitamin D at that point and enjoyed just being outside. The choir element comes from my obsession of Gospel music while ago. I used to go to see Gospel in a small town in Iceland, Gardabaer and I loved the sound of it. There’s a line, “They called me Jesus”, that actually happened in Cuba, I guess because of my long mouse-gray hair. Hard it pinpoint all the influences, but I was listening a lot to Beach Boys at the time and read Keith Richards biography that summer and both things shaped the song a bit in its own way.”
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