by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Durham, NC’s Moon Racer is the synth-led bedroom pop project of Autumn E., creating intimate songs that reflect on life, love, and the world around us. Recorded mostly to four-track tape, the lo-fi production is as much a part of the song’s as the melodies and whirring synth lines, like a foggy dream that only becomes clear after a day spend pondering its meaning. Ahead of upcoming tour dates (some together with Orindal Records label mates Claire Cronin and Advance Base), Moon Racer is sharing a new single, “You Can Feel Bad,” a cover of Patty Loveless’ mid-90s country hit.
Opting to recreate the song in her own vision, the Moon Racer version is minimal and full of atmosphere, the synths offering more texture than anything else. The construction of programmed drums and the depressed fog of wavering synths gives the lyrics a whole new feel. It’s a gorgeous cover that shows just how effectively the emotion put into a song can manipulate the emotion taken from the song.
Moon Racer's Autumn E wrote a short essay about why she decided to cover Patty Loveless:
“I grew up in rural North Carolina listening to mid-90s country radio, and Patty Loveless was one of my favorites. As a kid, I thought the lyrics to this song were just so sassy and cool and smart, even before I fully understood them.
A while back, a friend ran into an ex of mine, who approached her to say how bad he felt about breaking up with me. When she told me the next day, I immediately remembered this song.
“You Can Feel Bad" is about the hand-wringing, self-congratulatory guilt so many people profess after consciously doing something shitty.
The original is pretty anthemic in its sarcasm, and it's clear that the narrator really is living her best life post-breakup. My interpretation feels less certain; I'm trying to put up the same front, but... maybe I am wearing those old sweaters.”
Tour Dates:
06/14 Winston Salem, NC @ Monstercade
06/15 Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre Rooftop
06/17 Cincinnati, OH @ The Listing Loon
06/19 Louisville, KY @ Saint Cat’s - Our Lady of the Good Couch
06/21 Chicago, IL @ Hungry Brain*
06/24 Ypsilanti, MI @ Ziggy's*
06/25 Youngstown, OH @ House Show
06/28 Providence, RI @ AS220 Psychic Readings
06/29 Cambridge, MA @ The Lilypad
06/30 Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right*
*with Advance Base and Claire Cronin
Moon Racer’s “You Can Feel Bad” is out May 31st via Orindal Records.