Moonroof
“Maybe Crazy,” definitely good
Moonroof is an indie pop 4-piece out of PA. The band consists of lead singer Dave Kim, drummer Dan Rendine, guitarist Francis Convery, and bassist Kevin Randolph. They formed in 2018 at Bloomsburg University and after graduation moved into Philly. As you can see from the picture above, they’ve been able to hit some pretty big stages so far and rack up over 2 million streams on Spotify. How? Catch tunes, honest lyrics and great tones. Here’s our review of their latest track, “Maybe Crazy.”
It’s an all start with the band and for those of us old enough, it’s like we’re back in the late 80’s with those great live tones. The lead line on guitar is melodic, the tempo is upbeat, and the bass line moves perfectly underneath. This is the kind of hard opening that explodes arenas. With verse we hear Kim’s unique vocals - there’s a certain gruffness to his voice that reminds us of Iva Davies or Damon Albarn. They do a good job of creating room for him here by dropping the guitar in this first verse. The pre-chorus builds the intensity with a smart rhythmic change and subtle BG’s. With the chorus, the tones expand in a great mix. That guitar line we love so much comes back in perfectly, with a couple of nice rhythm tracks to add some depth. Second verse builds the vibe by doubling the melody an octave up, highlighting Kim’s unique tone. Where most bands would keep this verse the same, if not shorter, they keep the same form and we now realize that it’s almost like they have 2 separate pre-chorus sections before these first two choruses. Clever stuff. Have to say how much we love the lyrics and melody of the chorus. Very memorable and very well done. Would love to hear more of it - wish it was longer!
Spend some time with the socials and the nine other songs they’ve released that have earned them such strong attention. They site their influences as The Band Camino and Two Door Cinema Club - interesting, while those bands certainly have strong melodies, they don’t rely on the live instruments as much as Moonroof does. This band is more organic than processed, rougher around the edges and dare we say, honest. Let’s hope they don’t loose that indie spirit.