Clara May
Moth Picnic
Mangled Tapes
Edmonton, AB
RIYL: Julie Doiron’s Loneliest in the Morning; Adrianne Lenker; moths
My favourite meme right now is the one where, most often, a picture of something cute is paired with the phrase “oh to be [whatever the picture is of].” “Oh to be a fluffy Japanese pancake,” for example. On Moth Picnic’s “The Reincarnation Song,” Clara May ponders life after death and vocalises this wholesome meme. “Oh to be a whale as big and blue as the water that you swim in,” May sings while strumming a banjo.
Like “The Reincarnation Song,” Moth Picnic is charming while also capturing relatable anxieties and a contemporary disillusionment. It’s a quiet bedroom-folk-pop record that features a love-ish song to May’s home (“Edmonton”), a breezy ode to connection (“I Hope So”), and a list of the things May likes and doesn’t like (“I Like What I Like”). Moth Picnic is a comforting companion when the world feels too loud and it also may inspire you to pick up your guitar again and record a song in your bedroom.
– Laura Stanley
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