Moon Walker was launched during quarantine, why were you compelled to form a musical duo during this critical time in humanity?
I think everyone got creative with how they spend their time and adjust to financial burdens in COVID. My old band The Midnight Club, relied on touring so the pandemic really threw us into panic mode. To make some money and occupy more time, I started writing music for sound libraries. I wrote a few that I didn’t feel comfortable selling and I decided to start another project and chase that sound. Thus, Moon Walker was born!
What was the creative process behind “The Hollywood Machine”?
I wrote that song early on in the process of writing our record “Truth to Power”. At the time, The Midnight Club was still living together, so I had our singer sing it. It was too high for me at the time. The song sat in our archives for a few months before I decided to try my hand at singing it and was really excited with the new version.
Review – The Hollywood Machine by Moon Walker
Being such an unpredictably eclectic band is not an easy thing to accomplish, how did you manage to keep up the pace?
Honestly, it comes very naturally! I listen to all kinds of music and I’m constantly chasing down new ideas and sounds. I haven’t written a single Moon Walker song with the intention of switching it up or changing directions. I just sit down to write and that’s what comes out. It feels very consistent to me haha. I guess I’m close enough to see the method behind the madness!
How did your diverse influences affect the making of your new album?
I think a lot. Before making “Truth to Power” I got really into artists like Jack White, Stevie Wonder and the Talking Heads. All of those artists had such unique approaches to music that I hadn’t considered before. Before making our newer record, I got really into artists like Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and Rage Against The Machine. I’ve never used so many synths, drum loops, etc. as I did for this record. And I don’t think I’ve ever experimented with such hip hop-ey vocals.
We loved the social commentary in “The Hollywood Machine”, how has the state of the world affected your songwriting process?
A lot! Songwriting is my most effective outlet and I think it’s natural for people my age to feel very frustrated and disenfranchised in the world. If something ever bothers me enough, the only way I can truly vent my frustrations and communicate my thoughts is by making music. So, my anger is one of my biggest inspirations haha!
Many comments mentioned how the music video for “The Hollywood Machine” pays homage to “The Shining” by Stanley Kubrick, what was your inspiration behind the music video?
I saw that! It’s so funny because obviously Kubrick is a HUGE inspiration to me and my girlfriend (who directed the video), and we’re actually literally about to film a music video HEAVILY inspired by the Shining. But for this particular video, we didn’t really take deliberate inspiration from him! I can’t really remember what references we were using for this video. Obviously, we were satirizing influencer culture and TMZ and stuff so we did have to watch some of that stuff so we’d be informed.
Where do you plan to take your music in the upcoming years?
Wherever it takes us!
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Jaylan Salah
