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Jan 15, 2020 By Christopher Roberts Moaning

Los Angeles shoegazers/post-punkers Moaning have announced a new album, Uneasy Laughter, and shared its first single, “Ego,” via a video for the track. Uneasy Laughter is due out March 20 via Sub Pop. Check out the Ambar Navarro-directed “Ego” video below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover art.

Uneasy Laughter is the follow-up to the trio’s self-titled debut album, released in 2018 also via Sub Pop. Moaning consists of vocalist/guitarist Sean Solomon, bassist/keyboardist Pascal Stevenson, and drummer Andrew MacKelvie. The band worked with producer/engineer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Bloc Party, Melvins) on Uneasy Laughter.

Solomon had this to say about “Ego” in a press release: “The lyrics are about letting go of your own bullshit to help other people. Wanting to love yourself to love others. The ego can make you feel like you’re the greatest person in the world or the worst. It makes you think your problems are abnormally different which is isolating and rarely true. The song is a reminder that listening to other perspectives is important and beneficial to both parties involved.”

Stevenson had this to say add about the single: “Musically, the song was started by repurposing a drum beat made for a different demo and putting it on top of a new synth loop. It was a digital collage where we passed Ableton files back and forth. We purposely avoided the impulse to add guitars to everything, letting the melodies of the synth and vocals be the focus. We wanted to embrace the songs ability to slip between genre lines.”

Solomon celebrated a year of sobriety during the ​sessions for the album and says he wanted to be more open with Uneasy Laughter: “Men are conditioned not to be vulnerable or admit they’re wrong. But I wanted to talk openly about my feelings and mistakes I’ve made.”

Uneasy Laughter Tracklist:

1. Ego
2. Make It Stop
3. ///
4. Stranger
5. Running
6. Connect the Dots
7. Fall in Love
8. Coincidence or Fate
9. What Separates Us
10. //////////
11. Keep Out
12. Saving Face
13. Say Something

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