Moana
In The Allure
Mysteria Maxima Music
Moana’s debut album In The Allure is an exclusive sneak peak of the new wave of music about to hit the airwaves. The commercial rock of the 00s is long gone, and this current clusterfuck of a decade is thankfully almost through. With EDM and mumble rap having killed off most of the brain cells of the wider public, along with mediocrity and complacency seeming to be triple j’s unspoken agenda of the last few years, In The Allure truly is a breath of fresh air – both original and inspiring. This heavy, experimental, psych-art four piece from WA seem set on shaking the local music scene to its very foundations. A little bit of psychosis added to the ever faithful pyschedelic that our beautiful city is known for.
The album opens up with Smoke That Thunders, a heavily guitar-driven atmospheric piece that does well to set the tone for the album, both sonically and lyrically. Drums of doom and a bass rumble from hell provide a rhythm that gets the endorphins running right from the word go, immersing the listener almost immediately in a dark and insightful world that mirrors our own. Tight musicianship combined with fantastic production value – the album kicks off hard and fast with Ancient Egypt as the back drop.
A deep and dark bassline carries on as the opening track fades out, keeping the ball rolling steadily. It is within the second track Dracula that the underlying theme of the album is revealed, and we are given our first glimpse into the mind of the writer. A much more personal song, Dracula explores an issue heavily relatable to young women and men in the detachment of self. Though the target audience is clearly established, this insightful look into the mind of a young woman is captivating enough to engage a person regardless of gender.
The third song of the album takes a deeper and darker dive into the ever endless realms of self reflection. It’s confronting, it’s gloomy, and it stays true to the intended tone as we are met with our first signs of conflict. Internal conflict seems to be the underlying theme of In The Allure and it paints a vast picture of the human struggle. The album begins to take shape.
It is not until the fourth song of the album Scarab that we start to delve into the more symbolic side of the human condition. Bringing a bit of Ancient Egyptian philosophy into play, Scarab represents immortality and resurrection. It creates a feeling of struggle and resistance, but ultimately the song appears to highlight the concept of rebirth within a person. It’s dark, but then so is human nature. It becomes clear that In The Allure was written with the intention of confronting the listener, forcing them to take a brutally honest look at themselves. There’s no sugar coating here, just the deep, dark truth.
Crossing over the halfway point of the album, Sister Winter encompasses themes of duality and transformation. A nod to heavy music queen Chelsea Wolfe is evident despite it being more of a ballad, and it seems to represent someone caught in the middle of reality and dream, an almost limbo-like state.
This concept is carried over into the following two tracks. The lines between reality and dream become more and more blurred, leaving the listener with a sensation of weightlessness created by the progression of tracks five, six and seven. We now appear to be adrift in the cosmos. Somewhere between life and death.
The final tracks of the album E LIX A and Promise do well to conclude the saga. Eighth song E LIX A is a more synth driven song, and completes the transition from death to rebirth, which appears to be the overall theme of the album.
Promise wraps up the story perfectly, it creates a world in the aftermath of destruction. It creates a sense of urgency, and seems to force the listener to confront the idea of the need for change, both in themselves and the world that surrounds.
In The Allure is a hard rock and heavily experimental art piece that remains forever in the present moment, but always with the future in mind. An album full of self actualisation and self realisation… Moana has delivered a clear call for transformation with their debut release.
JORDAN HAWKS
