Stewart Hahn is a musician and producer based in Washington, DC, and Monologuer is his solo project. Hahn mentions: “I've been playing drums for most of my life, in a series of a few bands— most recently a now-defunct DC-based band called the Ferns.” Under The Moon is his first release of a three-part series.
The first song is called “Bible” and starts off with arpeggiated synths. Right off the bat the lyrics are dramatic and poetic. Hahn sings “A part of me is dead and you killed it / I’m thrilled that you think that you’re doing what’s best / but are you aware of what you take with you / and what you leave behind.” The mood and theme felt like a mix of coming of age lamenting and an optimism about the future. Musically, this sounded similar to a band like The Postal Service to my ears. “Stasis” is a clear shift in genre. There’s a synth bass, drums and sheets of fuzz from a guitar. The genre is much more jazz influenced but the production incorporates a contemporary sound. I liked the synth on this song. The vocals are much more relaxed and loose on this song which I preferred. “Magic” is the highlight. This song has a great hook, is infectious and accessible. It’s the most pop-oriented track but Hahn really sounds natural here. He seems to have fun with the vocal performance even on the more melancholy moments when he questions almost everything he’s doing. The title track “Under The Moon” had some cool production. I thought the song sounded more atmospheric and otherworldly. There are some interesting builds and inventive production. My only critique is I wanted to hear some more organic instrumentation. It did feel like I was listening to a lot of virtual instruments. I wouldn’t say anything major but just a little more of balance between organic and virtual instruments. These songs are showing different sides to his talent, not a signature sound. That’s not a bad thing for an initial release but in my opinion the style and genre where he excelled was on the song “Magic.” Overall, this is a strong release and certainly points to an artist with talent.
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