[Cover photo credit to Gaëlle Leroyer]
Montreal’s Half Moon Run have announced their next full-length album, the group’s fourth in total. Salt is set for release on June 2, 2023 on the band’s new record label, BMG. They’ve released the track “Alco”, combining an unearthed 2012 ukulele riff with additional recordings from 2022 to create an intentionally mystical feel.
Band member Conner Molander explains:
Devon took a ukulele on a trip to Thailand in 2012. When he got back to Montreal, he played the opening riff of ‘Alco’ for us – and we loved it! We started developing the song around that time, but kept running into roadblocks with the arrangement. It’s such a pleasure now to feel like we finally cracked the code after all these years. Personally I love the elven textures that decorate this recording – it feels mystical!
“Alco” follows previous single + video for “You Can Let Go”, the album opener for Salt.
Conner Molander also reveals some of the process of the new album:
“On our first European tour in 2012, we bought a little Tascam 2-track recorder. We used it to capture our live shows – we’d listen back looking for ways to improve. From that point on, it also replaced Devon’s old cassette recorder as our most important and long-standing piece of songwriting technology. We use it every single time we write together, keeping it on constantly while we jam and improvise. Listening back to what we just did is a crucial part of our process – one of the only single techniques we dogmatically rely on.
On Salt, there’s a track called ‘9beat.’ For that song alone, Devon went through several hundred different Tascam recordings, mining for lyrical and melodic content. We’ve been working on that song for the better part of a decade, and that’s true of several songs on this record – ‘Alco,’ ‘Hotel in Memphis,’ ‘Dodge theRubble,’ ‘Salt’… There’s also brand new material, written during the pandemic, like ‘Gigafire,’ and ‘Goodbye Cali.’ This record represents a broad, sweeping scope of output from different eras of this band.”
New dates for 2023 were announced last month. There is the North American Tour for later this year (on top of the already announced European dates) and some additional shows added in their home province of Quebec and Newfoundland. Half Moon Run are again partnering with Plus1. In Canada (including Quebec), 1$ from each ticket sale will go to Global Medic who provides humanitarian assistance to those affected by natural disasters and to refugees and persons displaced by conflict. They empower the communities they serve by providing immediate aid, training and support.
In the USA + Europe, donations will go to the Syrian American Medical Society which is a U.S.-based charity that has been actively providing medical care in Syria since 1998. SAMS supports 110 medical facilities and over 3,000 medical personnel.
HALF MOON RUN – NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES 2023
October 24, 2023 @ El Rey Theater, Los Angeles, CA
October 25, 2023 @ August Hall, San Francisco, CA
October 27, 2023 @ Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
October 28, 2023 @ The Crocodile, Seattle, OR
October 29, 2023 @ Spanish Ballroom Tacoma, WA
November 1, 2023 @ Royal Theatre, Victoria, BC
November2, 2023 @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
November 3, 2023 @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
November 5, 2023 @ MacEwan Hall, Calgary, AB
November 7, 2023 @ Coors Event Centre, Saskatoon, SK
November 8, 2023 @ Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB
November 10, 2023 @ Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN
November 11, 2023 @ Metro, Chicago, IL
November 12, 2023 @ Saint Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, MI
November 14, 2023 @ The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA
November 16, 2023 @ Union Stage, Washington, VA
November 17, 2023 @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
November 18, 2023 @ Royale, Boston, MA
November 21, 2023 @ London Music Hall, London, ON
November 23, 2023 @ History, Toronto, ON
November 24, 2023 @ Kingston Grand Theatre, Kingston, ON
November 25, 2023 @ Algonquin Commons Theatre, Ottawa, ON
November 26, 2023 @ Algonquin Commons Theatre, Ottawa, ON
December 13, 2023 @ MTelus, Montreal, QC
December 14, 2023 @ MTelus, Montreal, QC
December 15, 2023 @ Salle Maurice-O’Bready, Sherbrooke, QC
December 17, 2023 @ Théâtre du Palais Municipal, Saguenay, QC
December 18, 2023 @ Grand Théâtre@ Quebec City, QC
