Album artwork for Uneasy Laughter by Moaning

What happens when an abrasive rock trio trades guitars for synths, cranks up the beats and leans into the everyday anxieties of simply being a functioning human in the 21st century? The answer is Uneasy Laughter, the sensational second Sub Pop release from Los Angeles-based Moaning.

Vocalist / guitarist Sean Solomon, bassist / keyboardist Pascal Stevenson and drummer Andrew MacKelvie have been friends and co-conspirators amid the fertile L.A. DIY scene for more than a decade. They are also immersed in other creative pursuits — Solomon is a noted illustrator, art director and animator, while Stevenson and MacKelvie have played or worked behind the boards with acts such as Cherry Glazerr, Sasami and Surf Curse. On Uneasy Laughter, they’ve tackled challenges both personal and universal the only way they know how: by talking about how they’re feeling and channeling those emotions directly into their music.

Moaning’s 2018’s self-titled Sub Pop debut featured songs mostly written in practice or brought in already complete by individual band members. It garnered acclaim from Pitchfork, Stereogum and Los Angeles Times, who observed, “Moaning craft anxious music for an increasingly nervous local scene.” But Uneasy Laughter is a collaborative breakthrough which significantly brightens Moaning’s once claustrophobic sound, again abetted by producer / engineer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Bloc Party, Melvins). The trio points to first single Ego, which features a costume-heavy video directed by Ambar Navarro, as an embodiment of this evolution.

Tracklist:
1. Ego
2. Make It Stop
3. ///
4. Stranger
5. Running
6. Connect the Dots
7. Fall in Love
8. Coincidence or Fate
9. What Separates Us
10. //////////
11. Keep Out
12. Saving Face
13. Say Something

Moaning

Uneasy Laughter

Sub Pop
Album artwork for Uneasy Laughter by Moaning
CD

$10.99

Released 03/20/2020Catalog Number

SP1342-2

Learn more
Moaning

Uneasy Laughter

Sub Pop
Album artwork for Uneasy Laughter by Moaning
CD

$10.99

Released 03/20/2020Catalog Number

SP1342-2

Learn more

What happens when an abrasive rock trio trades guitars for synths, cranks up the beats and leans into the everyday anxieties of simply being a functioning human in the 21st century? The answer is Uneasy Laughter, the sensational second Sub Pop release from Los Angeles-based Moaning.

Vocalist / guitarist Sean Solomon, bassist / keyboardist Pascal Stevenson and drummer Andrew MacKelvie have been friends and co-conspirators amid the fertile L.A. DIY scene for more than a decade. They are also immersed in other creative pursuits — Solomon is a noted illustrator, art director and animator, while Stevenson and MacKelvie have played or worked behind the boards with acts such as Cherry Glazerr, Sasami and Surf Curse. On Uneasy Laughter, they’ve tackled challenges both personal and universal the only way they know how: by talking about how they’re feeling and channeling those emotions directly into their music.

Moaning’s 2018’s self-titled Sub Pop debut featured songs mostly written in practice or brought in already complete by individual band members. It garnered acclaim from Pitchfork, Stereogum and Los Angeles Times, who observed, “Moaning craft anxious music for an increasingly nervous local scene.” But Uneasy Laughter is a collaborative breakthrough which significantly brightens Moaning’s once claustrophobic sound, again abetted by producer / engineer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Bloc Party, Melvins). The trio points to first single Ego, which features a costume-heavy video directed by Ambar Navarro, as an embodiment of this evolution.

Tracklist:
1. Ego
2. Make It Stop
3. ///
4. Stranger
5. Running
6. Connect the Dots
7. Fall in Love
8. Coincidence or Fate
9. What Separates Us
10. //////////
11. Keep Out
12. Saving Face
13. Say Something