A relatively new artist on the scene, Naarm/ Melbourne-based artist and a self-confessed hopeless romantic moonsea starts 2024 with an ode to unrequited love.
The moniker of Cecilia Xu, moonsea's music enthrals the senses, captivating the listener with a lushness that depicts intimate lyrics, her orchestra background fused to a pop world inhabited by the likes of Taylor Swift, Lizzy McAlpine, and Phoebe Bridgers.After the release of her sophomore single, the mesmerising 'Sensitive', in late 2023, moonsea's next song 'Violins' delves into the often-confusing world of love and the feeling of invisibility when a crush overpowers rational thought.
Tranquil yet cocooned by a fragility that seeps into the pores, 'Violins' begins with hushed keys and an orchestral section creating a secluded gothic beauty, the ethereal melody draped in dramatic cinematic flourishes.
A poignant, washed-out synthy beat builds into an emotive wall of noise, a simmering guitar riff entering the equation near the end adding a 'sonic cherry on top' moment.
Cecilia's velvety-husky vocals rich with a vulnerability that encapsulates the deep lust and yearning that accompanies a crush, paint a vivid picture of a lovelorn spirit pining acceptance yet knowing their passion is (most likely) one-sided. "'Violins' is about a desperate desire to be noticed by someone you're wildly in love with," Cecilia says.
Ahead of the song's release tomorrow (2 February), scenestr is stoked to premiere the 'Violins' music video today. Enjoy.
"One of my friends calls it being 'ill'," continues Cecilia, detailing the inspiration behind 'Violins', "and to be honest that sums it up nicely; a drowsy fever-dream with temperatures swinging from high to low, and the impaired judgment and self-image that comes with it.
"It's an illness I've personally been afflicted with several times and I wanted to capture that feeling. For me, this song is also about a more general, deep-seated need to be seen.
"One of my favourite lines in the song is 'pick me up softly / turning me over / hold me to the light, love / and look at me closer'."
The song's music video was filmed and edited by moonsea, who captured the footage on a Sony Handycam in Melbourne and San Diego before overlaying the visuals with roses and a collage of serene imagery to harness the song's emotive feels.
"My photographer, Barbara, was showing me some of her camcorder projects and I loved that handheld effect," Cecilia says.
"I managed to borrow my in-laws' old Sony and took it on a work trip to San Diego with me, then finished the rest of the filming at home with me and a bunch of dead supermarket roses.
"A lot of the video is filmed in 'night mode', a feature of the camcorder I discovered by accident. The main feature of the song is its devolution from eloquent, orchestral and atmospheric to deranged cathartic indie rock, so I tried to make the imagery match that progression.
"Oh, and I think filming yourself in extreme close-up with a camcorder is very on-brand for a song that features the lyrics 'PLEASE LOOK AT ME' over distorted guitars (yelling this over and over in Xavier's studio was unreasonably fun)."
