Stream It From The Mountain: Empty Moon – The Empty Moon Story

Empty Moon is the solo project of singer-songwriter Brendan Hangauer, formerly of Lawrence, KS indie rock band Fourth Of July; his long-awaited sophomore album, The Empty Moon Story is out now on High Dive Records.  It is available digitally and on black or limited edition purple vinyl. 

Five years has passed since we last heard from Hangauer and he has since moved back to Lawrence after moving to California for a spell.  He has also gotten married and had a daughter.  Though this new collection of songs was written before much of that happened; it was produced again by Jason Quever of Papercuts.  Known for his clever wordplay and observational lyrics, Hangauer is a great storyteller and the aptly-titled new album is ripe with relatable themes of life and love set to indelible folk-leaning indie rock melodies. 

The album is led by “500 Friends” with its lyrical stream of conscience and propulsive rhythm and “Grown Ups” with its tumbling, tom-heavy beat.  Other standouts include the organ-drenched surf-rock inspired “Family Names” and the jangly album closer “Good Bones” with its sing-along melodies.  The only thing missing this time around is the usual female vocal counterpart that has marked his past releases.    

Stream The Empty Moon Story here: