Exclusive Single Premiere: Manorism “Moon Rising” (2019)

We’re super excited to be bringing you the exclusive premiere of “Moon Rising”, the latest single from Melbourne’s Manorism.

Melbourne band Manorism is a dream-pop passion project from Shantanu Joshi, Hai Nguyen, Damien Kaluarachchi, Stanislav Likane and Simon Farrelly.

Forming in 2014, Manorism’s sound pays homage to the post-punk giants of the 1980s, peppered with contemporary synths. It’s all very Joy Division meets War on Drugs, and it’s killer.

Beginning life as a ten minute synth and drum demo, “Moon Rising” was very nearly abandoned. Singer/guitarist Joshi (aka Shazz) explains:

“I remember I came up with the crux of the beat, chords and feeling all in a few hours on a Sunday morning in my studio back at my parents house. I knew I liked it, and it captured a vibe that I couldn’t quite articulate, but didn’t really think much of it. That summer I was trying to put down multiple demos down a week, and I thought this may be another demo that disappears into mediocrity.”

Luckily, his bandmates saw the potential in The Smiths and Phil Collins inspired track. Shazz says:

“It was only after I sent the demo to the rest of the boys that Damo (Kaluarachchi) heard a song underneath all the madness. We proceeded to chop and change it, add lyrics and remove elements. There was probably one special moment that’s really notable. It was a Sunday afternoon and Damo and I were sitting on my bed, likely both of us procrastinating our final university exams, drafting melodies for the chorus of “Moon Rising”. After more than a couple of hours, we came up with the chorus melody and that’s when we knew we had stumbled across something exciting.”

Birthed just as Farrelly joined the band, “Moon Rising” is every bit the blend of old and new as its name suggests, bringing together a nostalgia for the day that’s passed and anticipation for the night that’s to come.

The night is young for these Melbourne musos – who knows where it might lead?

Alright, enough talk – check out “Moon Rising” below!

Manorism will officially release “Moon Rising” into the wild tomorrow, with a single launch set for July 5th at Grace Darling Hotel. See the Facebook event for more info.

To stay up to date on all things Manorism, check out their Facebook page.

Jodie Sloan

Living, writing, and reading in Brisbane/Meanjin. Likes spooky books, strong cocktails, and pro-wrestling.