Album Review: Moodring – Stargazer (UNFD)

Rising Floridian alt-metal quartet Moodring will release their debut album, Stargazer, on the 10th of June 2022, via UNFD. An album that sees Stargazer explores themes of pain and loss, sex and addiction, love and death.

Shares vocalist Hunter Young, who co-produced Stargazer at his home studio, The Swamp Sound, alongside collaborator Austin Coupe:

We were excited to explore deeper themes and different aspects of our band throughout the full length. The album dives into our pool of influences unabashedly but resurfaces as its own entity. Each song was written with personal meaning and multiple themes, whilst remaining ambiguous and open enough for listeners to relate in their own way.

A vivid and vitality-fulfilling album, Stargazer is a moving and mood-altering listen that sits somewhere between shoegaze and modern electronica driven alt-rock. A thought-provoking and absorbing combination that sees the sparkly intro of How to Leave Painlessly transition into the glorious, uplifting and striking Disintegrate.

The first proper taste of how Moodring carefully infuse their music with electronica then comes with the punchy Constrict and pounding Red Light Gossip, a pair of metalcore-infused head-bangers imbued with a lot of energy and the familiar, but welcome, Moodring anthemic vibes.

An element of Moodring that can’t be understated is how anthemic most, if not all, the tracks are on this album. Even when they lean into a more alt-rock vibe such as on Peel and the title track, it results in an infectious and catchy listen. Importantly, though, also tracks with meaning and impact. Listen to the lyrics, let the smoothness of the vocals seep in and pick apart the brilliance of the melodies and rock rhythm. It’s music that deserves your attention and needs your analysis.

If you want to experience a really heavy side of Moodring though, look no further than the chunkiness of the riffs and scathing eruptions that come from SYNC. An absolute belter, followed by another, N.I.K.E. Where the fancy beat gets upended by electronica that is part dreamy and part nightmarish.

Head in the Clouds and Novocaine Bones comes next, Moodring continuing to show just how volatile, eccentric, and moving they can be. Before it’s one last large, open, animated anthem called Xeno (Foreign Love) to put the stamp of quality on this album.

Moodring – Stargazer Full Track Listing:

1. How to Leave Painlessly
2. Disintegrate
3. Constrict
4. Red Light Gossip
5. Peel
6. Stargazer
7. SYNC
8. N.I.K.E.
9. Head in the Clouds
10. Novocaine Bones
11. Xeno (Foreign Love)

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