"It’s insane, isn’t it?" - Indie-rock sensation Moon Walker talks artistic process, creative evolution and future projects.

Hey, Harry! Welcome to Texas! How has it been so far?

It’s been great! On our last tour in the fall we got to spend some time down here, and a few years ago, I spent a day or two when my sister lived here! But this is the first time we spend a good portion of our tour in Texas.

That’s awesome! For those that might not be familiar with Moon Walker, how would you describe your vibes in a few words?

Good question. I’d describe Moon Walker as political and energetic rock. For my newer music, however, there’s going to be a little bit more emphasis on songwriting and melody and lyrics rather than focusing on the energy of the music.

“Political” is definitely a good word to use. To me, one of the most interesting aspects of Moon Walker’s music is how you manage to deliver hard-hitting messages without feeling preachy. How do you strike that balance?

I sort of try to let things happen organically. I usually start with music first, and then the lyrics come naturally. I’m usually dealing with stuff everybody else deals with, so I let the song happen the way that it’s going to, and usually, it ends up being relatable!

Interesting! One would think that the lyrics would come first considering how potent your messages are!

I try to serve the song. For Moon Walker, I’ll start building an instrumental and then add in vocals later. But, my next project will be more lyrics-oriented!

You’ve been mentioning this new project pretty often! Considering you usually touch on current events in your music, what can we expect from you in 2024, a year that seems to be marked by division and polarization?

It’s insane, isn’t it? It’s a crazy year, the election hasn’t even properly started and it’s already such a crazy thing. Anyways, with this new project, I’ve allowed myself to write non-political music. Moon Walker has been tied to politics since the beginning, so I’m trying to focus more on stuff that’s a little bit more personal and introspective. This time, it’s not about pointing a finger at institutions, it’s more about very specific events and how I relate to them.

Would you say there’s been a change in the lyrics you write? A progression from explosive anger to a more introspective place?

Yeah! I do see a progression! I mean, I’ve gone from criticizing external problems to acknowledging how I am contributing to them or what we can do to fix these issues at their core. I think ever since the pandemic, and as more insane events unfolded, everybody was forced to look introspectively and question things more. Including myself.

If you could see or do anything at SXSW, what would it be?

I really wish that I could see the Q&A with The Daniels! I would be so excited to just be in the same room as them! Honestly, a lot of the things I’d be interested in are in the Film and TV Festival! Film, TV, comic books, everything that I enjoy that’s not music related inspires my art in so many ways. In fact, one of my biggest inspirations sonically speaking are movie soundtracks.

This has been lovely, Harry! Thank you for your time. Before you go, I’m dying to know… if you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be?

I’d be a fork. I don’t like spoons very much.

Follow Moon Walker here.