Set firmly in the mid-tempo range of indie-rock, Moonwood’s latest single Slow Down (September 2021) delves into the differences between two people in a struggling relationship, and the effort that needs to be made to hold things together.  

The effort is worth it, in Moonwood’s case, and the message is just “slow down:” 

“Let’s talk things out
I’ve got the time
To see things through
From both our sides
It can be tough
Dealing with me
I’ll show you now
What we could be

Slow down,
I’ll grab your hand, just cry
Like you do it all the time
Honey just slow down…”

Musically, this song builds in intensity without ever leaving the mid-tempo status, and the band has created a very singable melody that you will be humming long after you’ve heard the song for the first time. 

Moonwood is comprised of Australian, Canadian, and US bandmates, all currently living and working in Sydney, Australia. The band was conceptualized out of a conversation in 2013 between Jacob McCullough (Jake) (lead vocal), originally from Battle Creek Michigan, and Justin Spaccevento (drums), from Southwest Sydney Australia. Both were studying music at the time. They didn’t get together to play, however, until a 2016 jam session.  Jake had invited a friend to play keys to see if he was a good fit. It was alright but the guy wasn’t too interested. The funniest part is that Aaron Spaccenvento (keyboards), from Southwest Sydney Australia, was actually there that night just to hang out. Afterward, Aaron hinted at the idea of playing in the band and so from the second jam he was solidified as a part of the band. From here, the boys cycled through a few guitarists and bass players until Jake reached out to Paul Brouwer (guitar), originally from Windsor Canada, and invited him to play at a rehearsal. Paul clicked with the group and kept on playing with the boys. In 2019 the band went through a period of inactivity while some of the boys did important things like travel overseas and a few got married. Rounding out the quintet is Will Coleman (bass), originally from Dallas Texas.

As a single, Slow Down works well, and since the band has only one other track out there right now (that I can see anyway), the fact that they’ve come up with such a great single means they’ve either been extremely lucky or that they are very talented and we should watch what they do next. Ever the optimist, I’m going for the latter!

One thing to be aware of is that a search for Moonwood on bandcamp.com, returns a result that is NOT this Moonwood. It’s not too unusual these days to run into duplicate band names (I mean, there have been a boat-load of bands over the years!), but it’s just a caution to those looking for more from the band.

Speaking of “more from the band,” you can find some additional information on their website. This needs some work, unfortunately. There’s no biography, and the only purchase link at the moment appears to be Apple Music in the Music link. What does exist are links to their social and streaming platforms. 

Take a listen to a young band that is demonstrating a firm understanding of infectious music creation by checking out Moonwood now!

Note: Unfortunately, we are still dealing with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Moonwood and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka