Sunlit

2023

It feels strange each time we announce a new project from Joe Moore – with his musical versatility and his prolific, tireless spirit, we feel like we might run out of adjectives to describe such marvelous songs in such diverse musical parameters. SUNLIT is a project dedicated to shoegazing and dream pop. “Break My Heart” is the first advance of what will be their first, eponymous album that we will present very soon. This song is a perfect introduction: ethereal guitars, the spirit of Bobby Wratten drifting through, crystalline melodies, high voltage melancholy, emotions right on the surface. For the occasion, Chris Croft (who has already made videos for THE SCHOOL, THE YEARNING, THE SILVER FACTORY, THE PRIMITIVES, BMX BANDITS, ATTIC LIGHTS, Nick Garrie, THE MAGIC THEATRE, Cristina Quesada) has directed a music video set between the sea and the sunset, an exercise in expressionism that aims to transmit feelings of sadness and pleasure, melancholy and beauty, just like Joe Moore’s new project. Wait until you hear the album. Get your hearts ready, because this is going to hit hard.

The amount and diversity of the albums he has released and produced for Elefant Records since 2011 is unparalleled. Everything started with THE YEARNING’s “Jukebox Romance” (2012), full of delicacy and painstaking artwork in marvelous chamber pop, reminiscent of those girl groups from the 50s. Since then, he has made music with Lia Pamina; he has produced R’n’B and electronic pop for Maddie Mae; and he has written eighties-style Italo Disco and europop with Cristina Quesada. He has also collaborated with Julie Big (ex-singer from LE SUPERHOMARD) on the Julie Et Joe project, with which he paid a well-deserved tribute to 80s French pop (ELLI ET JACNO, LIO, MIKADO…). He explored electronic pop with Holly Vanags under the name THE PERFECT KISS, and, together with Luci Ashbourne, paid tribute to ABBA, to disco music, and 70s pop in general on his last album with THE YEARNING in 2020.

2024

24/01/2024
SUNLIT "Back" Single Digital

Every time we come back to this album it brings tears to our eyes. Of course, because each advance single from Joe Moore’s new alter ego makes our heart swell, but also because we are amazed to see how the British composer handles each musical territory he touches so exceptionally. 

08/03/2024
SUNLIT "Sunlit" Album

Our eyes light up and our hearts are warmed with songs like “Someone So Beautiful”, “1985” and “I Won’t Let You Go”. The incredible “Break My Heart” talks about the challenge of always loving someone, no matter what they do, while “Back” (which sounds like something taken off the soundtrack from the cult classic “Twin Peaks”) talks about regret, and the desire to escape to the past. Nocturnal spirits run through “Glorious Isolation”, as Joe himself explains, it’s the moment in “West Side Story” when Tony sees Maria. “Teenager”, which explores the feeling of young love, hits a switch that evokes CIGARETTES AFTER SEX, and here the arrangements shine brightly to show off beauty by contrast, dynamic, surprising us like an unexpected first kiss. And to top things off, it works as a bridge between various exercises in musical exploration, bringing us a more contemporary version of the dry, hyper-melodic Italo Disco of SAVAGE ‘s “Don’t Cry Tonight” and taking it to the province of melancholy, and it works as if it had been written to be played this way. Marvelous.

In the end, we get the feeling that this is a more personal body of work, where all the songs are full of meaning, and all the lyrics are directly influenced by the life of our protagonist, where all emotions are right on the surface. It is absolutely incredible how Joe Moore transits between styles, with prowess, inspiration and absolutely extraordinary execution. Is it because he’s a genius? What really matters is that he keeps releasing albums like this “Sunlit”.

31/05/2024

SUNLIT "Sunlit" limited-edition black vinyl

The welcome that the new project from Joe Moore (THE YEARNING, THE PERFECT KISS, Cristina Quesada, Lia Pamina…), SUNLIT, has received since the album release this past March 8th has been so incredible that today we are bringing you exciting news. On May 31st, we will release a 300-copy limited-edition black vinyl of this debut album. This release is destined to be an object of desire for collectors, and is probably the most introspective thing we’ve seen from Joe