Nashville-based progressive indie band Moon Taxi have just released their new album, “Mountain Beaches Cities,” via 12th South Records. “Mountains Beaches Cities” was self-produced by Moon Taxi’s own guitarist Spencer Thomson along with Wes Baily, and was mixed by Vance Powell (Jack White, The Dead Weather) and mastered by Greg Calbi (Talking Heads, Paul Simon, Fleet Foxes,) so it only makes sense that the groups immense talent would shine through.
The record starts off with “Running Wild,” a melodic but somewhat commercial-sounding mid-tempo track reminiscent of their earlier work, but with a good purpose. When asked about their sound, Wes Baily explained, “One thing we didn’t want to do was stray too far from what we did before. We really knew that things for the band had shifted in a good direction and we were growing because of our last record. We wanted to continue the energy we created from that record.” Following “Running Wild” is the undeniably catchy “Morracco,” before diving headfirst into my personal favorite track, “The New Black.” “The New Black” is ripe with the southern rock sound that the Tennessee natives are surrounded by, and certainly does the area justice. Next up is “Change,” which features an unusual blend of calming keyboards and rushed drums to create a complicated track, causing listeners to be unsure how to feel. “Change” flows seamlessly into the country-infused “Young Journey,” before taking a dark turn with “Beaches,” a track with a steady pulsing beat and gospel-influenced vocals. Moon Taxi keeps attempts to keep the record from getting too too dark with the soft, contemplative, “River Water,” but goes right back into the sinister with “Suspicious,” which brings an unexpected string section into play. The surprises keep on coming with the EDM-inspired “Struck Me Down,” before wrapping up with “Juniper,” a perfect romantic finishing touch to an already sensitive record.
“We made a conscious effort with the last record to write meaningful songs and produce them in an exciting way,” frontman Trevor explained, “That is still the ultimate goal. We strive to produce something that will outlast us as a band. I can see this record reaching an even broader range of people because the song themes are universal. ”
Mission accomplished.
