Suzi Moon – Dumb & In Luv LP (Pirates Press Records)

There’s no chance you haven’t heard of Suzi Moon if you followed the news on a punk rock scene during the pandemic. Once a member of Civet, LA Machina, and Turbulent Hearts, Suzi managed to build a successful solo career when rehearsing and touring were impossible. She released two excellent extended play releases, such as Call The Shots and Animal, paving the way for her debut full-length Dumb & In Luv. The album comes out this week, on September 23rd, but Pirates Press Records were kind enough to send us a copy of the album ahead of the release date so you could get more insights about it.

If you aren’t familiar with Suzi Moon, expect everything you ever wanted from punk rock music. Suzi combines only the best properties of eighties US punk rock with the late seventies UK punk rock, but don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some other qualities while listening to this excellent album. Those who listened to her previous recordings, Call The Shots and Animal, know she loves to throw in some elements of garage rock, rock’n’roll, grunge, and even early eighties LA hardcore punk and American streetpunk in her songs. That’s the case with Dumb & In Luv. She knows how to combine all these ingredients without spoiling the primary direction of her songs. This album also showcases Suzi Moon’s more melodic, harmonious, mellower side, where calmer, slower, soothing combinations of power pop and rock’n’roll shine bright in the limelight. Of course, Suzi Moon is a skilled musician, so these transformations suit her well.

Moon’s voice sounds better than ever. If you compare this record with her previous releases, you’ll notice how she progressed over the years. Don’t get me wrong, she sounded good at Call The Shots and Animals, but her vocal abilities improved on Dumb & In Luv. The songwriting improved as well, and you’ll notice how much attention she paid while assembling these compositions. Dumb & In Love resonates with much more complexity, superb song structures, and arrangements, and each member of her band invested many ideas into this material. You’ll also notice how this album continuously levitates between feral, powerful, energetic punk rock tracks and soothing, relaxing, calm rock’n’roll ballads. She worked hard on this material, and the effort paid off through ten excellent compositions suitable for any mood, moment, and situation. You’ll be blown away by the sheer amount of ear-appealing themes, melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, powerful riffs, basslines, and exceptionally rhythmic sequences. I advise you to check out this album as soon as possible if you’re into loud rock’n’roll music. Head over to Pirates Press for more information about ordering this gem.