Perth producer Monsoon Moon – aka Shaun Pickett – built up a name for himself as part of dance duo Command Q, which, alongside fellow DJ Louis Frere-Harvey, went on to receive co-signs from the likes of Diplo and Skrillex, eventually signing with Mad Decent and OWLSA. Last year, however, Pickett took a swerve with his debut single as Monsoon Moon, ‘Just Friends’, which we premiered way back in July.
On his self-titled debut EP, the artist ventures into more esoteric territory, crafting a versatile, idiosyncratic collection of electronic pop that swerves between the vibey, happy-go-lucky ‘Get Lazy’ and the creeping, atmospheric ‘Golden Goose’. Throughout, Pickett teases out warped rhythms and glitchy beats with warm melodies and breezy, deceptively infectious flow.
Recorded at Digital Bath Studios in Perth, the debut EP is a strictly solo effort, with Pickett producing, mixing and mastering the final product himself. It’s been a long time in the making, around half a decade, to be precise.
“This EP is my five-year long side hustle. When I first started writing it in 2014, it was purely for fun. As I got older and started singing more and DJing less, this side hustle slowly grew to be my favourite thing,” explains Pickett.
“It takes forever to finish these songs. When I’m writing, I find something I really love and then expand on it, then I go ahead and completely ruin it and over-process it; finally, I somehow fixed it many months down the track. It’s a frustrating process at the best of times.”
Stream Monsoon Moon’s self-titled EP below. It’s officially out this Friday, 17th April.
