We recently featured My Friend The Chimpanzee for their intricate and emotive second single, I Love This Place, so we were thrilled to have the chance to review their latest release, Twin Moons/Bearwolf, Pt. 1.
Setting the tone with a vibrant and playful psychedelic synth, fused with an intricate bass line, we are already hypnotized by Twin Moons/Bearwolf, Pt. 1. As the song expands, we experience a luxurious alternative pop frequency and a high concept narrative which takes inspiration from Haruki Murakami’s novel 1Q84.
The rising duo from Vienna in Austria recount the story to us, “In the novel, the main characters Aomame and Tengo are drawn into a slightly off and darker alternate reality, where a mystical and morally ambiguous power by the name of Little People reigns.”
Elaborating, My Friend The Chimpanzee confess, “The song reflects on the theme of a darker alternative universe and the truth that we all consist of lighter and darker versions of ourselves.”
The continue, “Nobody can go through life without their ugly side making the occasional appearance. Conversely, there’s a lot of good in all of us that given the right circumstances makes the world quite a beautiful place.”
We love the wisdom that the pair have instilled on this song, and we are obsessed with the intricacy of the production, with exquisite synth details, vocals and immersive and dynamic drums.
Twin Moons/Bearwolf, Pt. 1 is dimensional and keep us on our toes. The instrumental segments are out of this world, and we feel empowered by the self-aware optimistic lyricism that deals with introspection and the human condition.
The single was recorded in Josef Umschaid’s home studio in Vienna, Austria. Josef Umschaid and Lukas Wieser were involved in production. Mixing was done by Josef Umschaid. Stem-Mastering was done by Cohen Yusha.
My Friend The Chimpanzee cite Absolute Beginner, Alphaville, Alt-J, Beastie Boys, Black Knights, John Frusciante, Moby, Modest Mouse, Nada Surf, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Smiths, Tocotronic, Tycho, Vasco Rossi and Wyclef Jean as influences, although it is clear that they are creating a universe of their own!
We have added Twin Moons/Bearwolf, Pt. 1 to our New Music Spotlight playlist and continue streaming My Friend The Chimpanzee‘s wider discography including Time Traveller.