1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the solo project these days?
1. I've been slowly recording songs for multiple upcoming releases, it's just been taking me forever. I'm really slow with finishing music, I have lots of ideas but it's often hard for me to focus on them and also balance everything else in my life, especially now. But I am definitely working on things and I hope to have a full album out soon, as well as more cool things I can't talk about yet.
2.Recently you have released a new split, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
2. I think sky of fading lights sounds more heartbreakingly romantic, ethereal, and maybe even nostalgic than my previous releases. A Rose Dying In The Rain's track "etérea" feels so bittersweet and echoes this sense of deep yearning that I really hope someday I can achieve in my own music. I wanted my song on the split to sound more dense and have more texture than any other song I've done, not sure if I accomplished that but I definitely tried. It's also the longest song I've made.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the newer music?
3. I haven't really made my lyrics public, but I can say that they mostly deal with depression, loneliness, and heartbreak. I try to make my instrumentals match that as best as I can. There's also been a pretty common theme throughout lots of my music involving something leaving, whether it be me or another person, a location, a sense of self, etc., and that often works its way through the previous topics I mentioned.
4.You also have mentioned an interest in existentialism and the writings of Camus and Freud in the past, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these writings?
4. I'm not really that knowledgeable or even interested in Freud, but I have recently been reading some of Camus' works and have found them to be very interesting and applicable to parts of my own life. I read The Stranger a few months ago and enjoyed it a lot, Camus had such a beautifully descriptive way of writing. I still have much to learn and read because some of it is a bit difficult, like the essays, but ultimately absurdism and existentialism have resonated with me in general the past year or two. I used to be pretty nihilistic and it was such a miserable way to live. Maybe absurdism and existentialism are a response to nihilism, I'm still figuring it out. The least I can do is find cool people and do cool things to make life more interesting and bearable, and I can try to find meaning in that.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Moongazer'?
5. During some difficult and confusing times in life a few years ago I would often sit outside in the middle of the night and stare at the moon while listening to music and just think. No matter how bad life would get, the moon was always there each night for me when I needed to be alone.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the split album cover?
6. The artwork is from distantmagicaldream on Instagram. I found it while looking through their photos while me and A Rose Dying In The Rain were trying to figure out the split artwork. I showed it to him and we both loved it, so I asked permission to use it. There's something beautiful about it that I'm not sure I can fully put into words... it's wistful, ethereal, delicate, nostalgic. In relation to the title, the lights seem like they're about to fade away, as if we're caught in a brief moment of pure innocence and love before the bittersweetness and yearning sets in. I knew it looked how the music sounded the moment I saw it.
7.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
7. I want the project to stay as just me when I'm writing/recording because the music is me. I'd definitely be interested in playing live shows for Moongazer though, so I would need other musicians to make that happen someday.
8.Recently you where a part of a split with 'A Rose Dying In The Rain', what are your thoughts on the other project that had participated on the recording?
8. Fernando is awesome. His music is just so nostalgic and full of romance, I love it. He's one of the nicest guys in the scene and I'm so glad I got to make something with him. We live far away from each other but I hope one day we can hang out in person and work on more music together.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of post black metal and blackgaze?
9. When I released Gone in 2021 I didn't expect anyone to really care about it besides maybe a handful of people and some friends in the scene. I'm really thankful that there seem to be people who enjoy my music and can relate to it. I've been able to have my music released on CD and tape, which is so cool to me. I always enjoy reading what people say about my stuff and some have told me it's helped them during hard times and to discover bands in the genres more, which blows my mind.
10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
10. I'll continue making music for Moongazer as long as I feel I need to, as well as working on other future music projects. I hope I can collab with others more in the future and even play shows someday, that would be so cool. I'd love to be in a band or two and tour different states/countries. Ultimately I just wanna keep making meaningful art and surround myself with people who do the same and see where it leads.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that you are currently listening to nowadays?
11. I've been listening to a lot of Midwife, Tim Hecker, Red House Painters, Grouper, Have A Nice Life, Sadness, Massive Attack, and Duster lately. New Lamp of Murmuur album is sick.
12.before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. Thanks for the interview, and thank you to anyone who listens to my music and supports me. New music soon.
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