Apples With Moya Returns To Spread Joy With New Song “Nettles”
In 2018, Apples With Moya opened for a quartet of L.A. upstarts called Young Jesus, who were (and have been since) a phenomenal band. “Nettles,” the grand return of the Cam LeFlam-fronted band after a couple of years in hibernation, was inspired by that Chop Suey show. (I can attest that it was a stellar night, and I still have the cassette of their self-titled from that night, even though I didn’t have any way to play it when I got back home.)
Looking back, I see a fundamental difference between the two bands. Young Jesus, at least at the time, waxed philosophical about the depths of human connection, and philosophy by its nature tends to lean cynical. Apples With Moya, meanwhile, might be one of the least cynical bands I know. Their prime focus seems to be warmth at all angles, their music deadset on clearing the cobwebs off your heart.
“Nettles” reaffirms their commitment to light and love. It’s a song they’ve been playing almost since pre-COVID times, placing it in the same tempral realm as the song from their excellent debut, Get Behind The Horses. Sonically, this song soars in comparison, thanks to production by bandmember Dylan Hanwright and newcomer Sam Rosson. Every instrument, from Sebastien Deramat’s bass to John Laws’ percussion, feels just right in the ears. The additional instruments embody Apples’ idyllicness; Hanwright’s organ rests beneficently over the opening chord, and guest Abby Gundersen’s violin harmonies immediately leap out of the mix.
Lyrically, vocalist LeFlam does what he does best: earnestly exploring the joy embedded in the present tense. Here he’s rural, caught between the elemental beauty of the surrounding nature and the anxiety of its transformation into memory. Later, Rob Joynes signature soft piano sets up Leflam for a volley on the chorus, where he hurdles over octaves in ecstatic realization. “This is gone/This won’t come close to everything,” he shouts with a twinge of emergency.
If any fretfulness exists in his words, it’s not present in the accompanying music video, which captures footage from the wedding of Hanwright and Malia Seavey (Salt Lick, Rub, Semisoft) into a faux karaoke track that sublimely recreates the comforting charm of the band’s music. It’s all green grass, still water, dancing, goofing, friendship - corporeal, concrete happiness that might make you reflect on your own gratitude for the world around you.