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Memorial unite the lost and the lonely under a tender ‘Fake Moon’

Photo Credit: Sequoia Ziff

As we’re all quite aware, yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and we certainly don’t need to tell you how to feel about it. Those who are lucky in love showed their smiles across social media, and those who are not were forced to just have another Monday about it. But Memorial are here to remind us that we’re all on our own path, and the British folk duo’s new tune “Fake Moon” is a delicate but assertive reminder that our story plays out exactly the way it should.

The floating track will be featured on Memorial’s forthcoming self-titled debut album, out April 29 via Lucy Rose’s Real Kind Records, home to the likes of Bess Atwell and Samantha Crain. Real Kind is a suitable home for Memorial, as “Fake Moon” in particular is all about remaining kind to yourself. Especially on days like yesterday where everyone else’s photographic smiles stab like knives.

“‘Fake Moon’ was written at a time in my life when nothing was going right!” says Memorial’s Ollie Spalding. “I was fully dedicated to writing music for so long that when I stopped and looked around me I realized I was older and more lost than ever… Pretty much all my friends were in meaningful and healthy relationships & I was yearning for the same thing, but also felt as though I was too busy to ever hold anything down.”

Spalding adds: “I was in a rut, just hitting my mid 20s. That’s when the movies and stories say you’ll be settling down and having kids! The pressures of expectation can really drag on young people. It feels there’s such a short window of time to materialize these things or achieve success, that if you don’t feel ready at that moment, it’ll never happen. It’s those circumstances that amount to such a low feeling.”

As “Fake Moon” unfolded in writing sessions, it became apparent that its topic and tone was something that could be shared by others, and in a sense unite those who felt abandoned by society’s expectations.

“This song was originally written in a first person perspective,” Spalding continues, “but we had such a strong feeling of not being alone in this situation and that focusing on the self takes away from the gravity of the sentiment, so we decided to change it. For people who hear themselves in this song, I really hope it makes you feel less alone. Everyone is different, just keep being yourself and doing what you love!”

That’s solid advice for any day on the calendar.