When will I know
When will I say
The words you need to hear
You need to hear
Dotsun Moon, the Buffalo, NY-based brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Richard Flierl, resurfaces with the lush and layered new single, Save Us. Ever since the project’s hazy nocturnal debut 4 A.M. dropped in 2011, Flierl has persistently pursued dream-laden atmospheres and crystalline guitar reveries, gently drifting through various iterations and lineup evolutions. Now firmly settled into his role as vocalist, he conjures a delicate blend of shoegaze guitars and atmospheric indie-rock influences, evoking ethereal shades of bands like M83 and New Order.
“You’d be forgiven if M83 comes to mind,” Flierl quips. “The inspiration stops at the power of the intro and allows me to launch into the bass and guitar influences that are pronounced throughout this album. The song is a fun yet urgent call to someone important to let me in and find the good around us.”
Save Us dives headfirst into the tender turmoil of early relationships – those uncertain first steps where affection and anxiety collide in equal measure. Each chord reverberates with the whispered prayers of lovers fumbling forward, desperately hoping to evade heartbreak yet deeply aware of its inevitability. Flierl vividly captures the fragile optimism of fledgling romance, exposing the paradox of believing in a connection where communication has scarcely bloomed, leaving lovers suspended in confusion masked by quiet harmony.
This single elegantly balances dreamy melodies and understated rhythms, emphasizing the profound emotional dissonance of feeling simultaneously hopeful and helpless. With subtle vocals wrapped gently in reverb and richly textured guitars echoing softly beneath, the track immerses listeners in that vulnerable space between sincerity and self-delusion. Dotsun Moon skillfully mirrors how easily genuine affection blurs into sweet illusion, evoking the moment when lovers cling to each other, hoping to be saved from themselves.
The video is a curious montage of dispatches from the future, as we see a variety of human souls melding with binary code and machine.
Watch the video for Save Us below.
Tiger marks a bold departure from previous offerings, with Flierl stepping confidently into a fully solo endeavor, delivering each note and vocal line entirely on his own. Previously accented by female vocals, Dotsun Moon’s evolving vision now showcases a strikingly intimate and introspective direction. Richly textured and profoundly personal, the music gracefully balances moments of euphoric release with a grounding emotional resonance. Engineered and mastered by Doug White at Watchmen Studios in Lockport, NY, the record was collaboratively mixed on-site by Flierl and White.
“This is a huge change to prior releases, which have powerful female singers at the center,” says Flierl. “On this album, I am on vocals and all the songs are written and played by me from guitars and bass to keyboards, drums and programming. Doug White at Watchmen Studios brought decades of recording and mixing knowledge to the recordings that allows the songs to truly shine.”
Over the years, Dotsun Moon has performed with such notable artists as Mary Ognibene (The Lovely Intangibles) and Buffalo Music Hall of Famer Maria Sebastian, having also played shows with Joywave, Vanishing Kids and The Lost Patrol, not to mention Pride Festival.
Tiger, set for release on June 27, is available for pre-order here. Preview the album below:
In the spring, Dotsun Moon unveiled new videos for the lush singles Bring Love and Give Up The Tears, each brimming with dreamy atmospheres and heartfelt intensity. These tracks offer a gauzy plea to dismantle emotional walls and seek collective optimism, even when love feels like a gamble in shadowed uncertainty. Immersed in expansive waves of reverb, they embody the thrill and delicate uncertainty inherent in fresh romance, a heartfelt appeal to preserve what might yet flourish before it’s irrevocably lost.
Watch Never Had A Heart, Bring Love and Give Up The Tears below:
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