Lunar Moth, Totally Cashed, Shoobie, Smoke Free Home, Flying Fuzz at High Noon Saloon

Lunar Moth plays here to celebrate the release of its In The Mourning EP, which brings a few sides of the Madison trio into sharper focus. The first of its four tracks, “Flower Blood Moon,” continues to build on the band’s well-established love of doom metal, drawing its power from lumbering rhythms. But Amber (guitar, vocals), Mac (bass), and Gage Moth (drums) always leave themselves room to go in more bright and hooky directions. The EP’s first single, “Sunshine Veins,” starts with the kind of guitar chords that hint at both tension and wistfulness, and when the song gets a little heavier, Amber Moth’s vocals draw out a restive yearning from the fuzz. 

It’s the title track, though, that does the most with all the promise Lunar Moth has shown so far. It starts off as a gentle acoustic number, with lyrics that ask the listener to take death and loss in stride (“When my time is done, just another month of cold in the ground, don’t cry for me”). The song gradually builds up in volume, rocking out just enough to put a finer point on the sweetly sad atmosphere. 

—Scott Gordon

Photo by Lane David Photography.