Cape Town-based rock band Moon Badger’s first single to be released from their upcoming debut EP was initially unplanned.
This was according to Nicol Pirow, the band’s guitarist and lead vocalist.
The single “Spooky Ghost”, which was released on 8 May, is one of the tracks on the band’s upcoming EP, Night of the Living Dead.
The band recorded enough songs at the Tunes Studios in Stellenbosch for two EPs, but “Spooky Ghost” nearly didn’t make the cut, Pirow said.
“We had about 15 minutes left over after we recorded the songs which we planned to do and decided we would play it for gees while everything was set up. And then we had a great take that made the cut,” said Pirow.
‘Spooky Ghost’ artwork done by Beate Jordaan at a Moon Badger gig. PHOTO: Pierre Rommelaere
The independent band is made up of Divan Putter on bass and vocals, Adriaan “Slenderman” Jordaan on drums and vocals, and Pirow.
The song could either be interpreted as a song about a ghost or about your old life calling you back, said Pirow.
“Spooky Ghost is actually pretty closely linked to Stellenbosch and was one of the first songs that convinced me that the dual-meaning lyrics are worth doing,” he said.
Moon Badger at Bohemia on Halloween 2019, dressed up as ‘Devil’ and ‘Spooky Ghost’, characters from their songs. PHOTO: Pierre Rommelaere
“[Spooky Ghost] makes you feel like you’re transcending into a video game character from the beginning of the song. The old-school ghoulish riff they added is a favourite,” said Elzette Stramrood, a fan of Moon Badger.
The band worked closely with Mark Ellis, recording engineer of Tunes Studio, and Jean Marais, the owner and manager of Tunes studio. “[T]he tone fits the theme well and the producer/(s) definitely underlined it too,” said Marais.
The Debut EP
The band tried to ensure that the lyrics to most of their songs were ambiguous enough that there were at least two meanings, according to Pirow.
“On this EP we deal with pride, people who choose to be permanently distracted, leaving people behind, tinnitus, and trying to reach something. Or we deal with banshees, ghosts, dead cowboys, crows, and witches, ” Pirow said. It depends on how you want to see it, he said.
According to Marais, he likes the fact that the band is not afraid to experiment.
“Moon Badger doesn’t pretend, their sound is authentic, they write and play the songs the way they feel in that particular moment,” said Marais.
From left to right: Adriaan ‘Slenderman’ Jordaan (drums and vocals), Divan Putter (bass and vocals) and Nicol Pirow (guitar and vocals). PHOTO: Clive Ulyate
Moon Badger’s debut EP will be released on 29 May. The second EP will be released in a few months’ time, said Pirow.
“[It] will be called Dawn of the Living Dread and will have a few more songs from the same recording session on it, so it’s kind of a sequel – but not really,” said Pirow.
– Wilné van Rooyen