(Make Me A) TRISTE© Mixtape Episode 145: Sunlit

After having visited many different territories, Joe Moore is back with a dream-pop, shoegazing, folk-pop album with certain crooner touches, where melodic elegance, the most profound relaxation, and romanticism are all back in full force. This new effort is being released under the name SUNLIT, and it is new proof that there is no musical ground that Joe Moore can’t inhabit, with marvelous creativity and tremendous results.
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), a wonderful chamber pop record, 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.
With this new project Joe steps into a new space that he has never entered before, and this time he sings the songs himself. Swimming through seas of dream pop, influenced by groups like Cocteau Twins, Julee Cruise, Chris Isaak, The Stone Roses, Lee Hazlewood, Alvvays, Beach House and Cowboy Junkies, Joe Moore gives us something beautiful and captivating that is characterized by the austerity of its arrangements, exactly the opposite of The Yearning, and the perfection of the melodies. He takes on all the vocals, and with a few guitars, bass, drums, and the occasional keyboard, he fills songs that take us to a place somewhere between Richard Hawley and Mazzy Star.
Sunlit will be out tomorrow, March 8 2024, on Elefant Records.

What Joe Says: “Both singles are taken from the self-titled debut album, ‘Sunlit’. ‘Break My Heart’ was a song that originally was just a rhythm/chorus hook which I liked. The verses felt shoegazey so overall the effect was dreamy yet not too slow. Lyrically, I went with the theme of almost challenging someone to break a heart but unable to do so, no matter what they do.
On both songs, and indeed the whole album, I was nervous about recording my vocals (I’m so used to working with other singers), but I’m pleased with how they fit with the genre. 😊 I’m excited about people hearing the whole album.”

“With ‘Back’, I wrote this one very early on for the project, but it had lots of different versions! The final mix reminds me of Twin Peaks, as well as Mazzy Star. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I love the melancholy melody and essentially it is a song of regret and looking backwards, which is something I do a lot!“

His Mixtape:

Mazzy Star – Flowers in December

The dreaminess of the arrangements, the voice and incredible use of reverb from Mazzy Star is a big influence on Sunlit’s sound.

Cigarettes After Sex – Crush

The intimate, romantic nature of Cigarettes After Sex combined with breathtakingly beautiful melodies had a big impact on me as a singer. They do simplicity perfectly. Less is more.

Beach House – The Hours

Beach House do layers better than anyone, constructing sounds and melancholy with a fine array of timbre. Again, they don’t overdo the vocal delivery, enhancing the overall quality and emotion.

The Stone Roses – Going Down