Josie Moon's early EPs were lo-fi releases that were more collations of ideas and vignettes than traditional songs. Rose Tinted delivers her most pop-orientated effort so far, and it introduces the Wellington singer-producer as one of our most exciting new voices. Moon shows immense promise on a mature, cohesive body of work, full of razor-sharp hooks and cutting emotional musings.
Rose Tinted's production, pieced together with Nik Brinkman, is largely made up of pillowed beats and ambient, shimmering synths. Moon's breath appears throughout as a production flourish, and while it's a slight distraction on opener Call Me, elsewhere it adds a breathless urgency to her takes on youth and love. Her lyrics are deceptively simple at first, and often swerve into jolting, emotive turns of phrase: "The only truth I get is your answerphone," she tells an elusive lover on Call Me.
On the mid-tempo jam Baby, she commands a spiralling loop of R & B and chamber pop that swirls down the woozy rabbit hole of a brand-new crush. It's the kind of love song that reminds you what it's like to feel it for the first time – as a hypnotising rush that leaves one defenceless against its blood-red serotonin high. After Hours, the EP's best track, boasts a brilliant chorus that has Moon flitting between insecurity and self-preservation; the beat bounces her around a bad party as she sings with a swift, effortless falsetto.
The songs are imperfect, but wear that proudly; there's a definitive sense that Moon is trying on a pop outfit to see if she likes the feel. If she does, then Kiwi pop fans are in for a treat. Moon's knack for pop songwriting indicates she's a natural, and we can only hope there's much more where Rose Tinted came from.
