Moon Panda ‘Dumb Luck’ Album Review by Graham Finney
A lot has happened over the past few years in the lives of Maddy Myers and Gustav Moltke, who go by the musical name of Moon Panda, and, listening to their new album, ‘Dumb Luck’, it’s clear that the good times which have fallen on the pair, have gone a long way to shaping the dreamy sound of their latest record.
The first major change in the couple’s lives saw Myers and Moltke leaving Copenhagen for Maddy’s Southern California, where the pair started a family. While two such major changes in their lives should be enough for any couple, the two then expanded their musical family in a move which saw them rounding out the ‘band’ with keyboardist/guitarist George Godwin, producing, and Josh Cabitac. With so much happiness and joy infecting the couple’s life, it should come as no surprise that plenty of that has seeped into the grooves of their new record.
Inspiring their creative minds, ‘Dumb Luck’ finds Moon Panda in a suitably dreamy, daydreamy mood. Gentle and relaxed, ‘Dumb Luck’ almost meanders along, sounding like it doesn’t have a care in the world. ‘Lost World’ brings this album to life with its gentle, dream-pop beat and Myers’ calming vocals playing out over the top. ‘Penny’ follows it at a tempo that then runs throughout the rest of the album, with Godwin’s keyboards punctuating the music throughout the song.
Godwin is joined by Adam Thein on production duties, and the pair have perfectly captured the effortless, wistful mood Moon Panda has crafted. Clearly and uncluttered, their talents allow the music on tracks like “Avalanche” and the emotional “The Light” to breathe and run at their own pace.
Of course, having relocated to the hazy climate of Southern California, it would be fair to say that ‘Dumb Luck’ was never going to be an album to wake the neighbours up to, but if you’re looking for a soothing collection of songs filled with the joys of life, then ‘Dumb Luck’ should tick all of those boxes.
According to the pair, ‘Dumb Luck’ is an album of two themes, one of the joys of creation, both in their musical and personal lives, while also being one of growing and moving into a new chapter, again, both musically and personally. With plenty of ‘Dumb Luck’ going their way in recent times, Moon Panda clearly have a lot to look forward to so here’s hoping it inspires many more albums like this one.
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