Moonpools

Swiss shoegazers Moonpools have announced their new EP Hide and Seek, releasing on 19 April via Young and Aspiring. Today they have also shared their brand new single ‘Never Mind’.

Moonpools are a five-piece band from Basel, Switzerland, made up of Marcie Nyffeler (vocals/ guitar), Jasper Nyffeler (drums), Francesco Vona (keyboard), Matthias Gusset (guitar) and David Blum (bass). Marcie and Jasper’s roots lie in North East England, in Durham, where they still regularly visit family. The unmistakable sound of UK shoegaze has left an indelible mark upon the group, as they harness the wall of sound dreaminess Cocteau Twins, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine, then refreshing it with a modern pop inflection.

The EP’s slick production, with roaring guitars and shimmering synths, is made more impressive by the fact that Hide and Seek was (with exception of the drums) recorded and produced by the band at home, with the group taking full control of their craft and creative direction. Hide and Seek promised not only to be a milestone for the band, but the start of an exhilarating new chapter for guitar music coming out of Switzerland, as Moonpools distil shoegaze with pop for a new generation.

Shared today (2 Feb) is new single ‘Never Mind’. The track has a foundation of thick, layered guitars, with Marcie’s infectious vocal melodies gliding over the top. The video accompanying the track is a cinematic dreamscape of seaside shots overlaid with the band, gradually warping and fragmenting as the song and its distortions build.

Speaking on the new single, Marcie offers:

“I wanted to tell a story about someone trying to comfort a friend. They’re trying to show support and express their understanding. But over the course of the song, the comforter realises they don’t believe the words they’re saying and fall into the same hopelessness and indifference they were aiming to help their friend overcome. ‘Never Mind’ is usually the last song of our live-set. It’s a lot of fun to play and we become all consumed by it for the last few minutes of our show.”

An incredible live version of the band playing new single ‘Never Mind’ can be watched here, with the band perfectly capturing all the roar and sparkle found on the recorded version.

Upcoming EP Hide and Seek will follow on from 2019 EP Turbulent Times and 2022 EP Damaged Goods. Support from Moonpools coming from BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio. The band also impressed audiences playing to a packed room at the 2023 Montreux Jazz Festival and playing shows in support of bands like Mild Orange, The Grogans and Pile.

More About Moonpools

As well as the wall of sound influence of classic shoegaze groups, the sound of Moonpools is inspired by artists like Snail Mail, Hatchie and Soccer Mommy, as they move between Indie Rock and Dream Pop with roaring guitars and anthemic synth parts.

The concise arrangements, however, only form the backdrop for the catchy and touching vocals that form the heart of the band. Marcie Nyffeler, whose lyrics are often a balancing act between melodrama and kitsch, sings about unrequited and unexpected love, loss of control and apathy.