Artist – April Moon
Single – Happy Place
Released –27th February 2024
Reviewer – Allan Cairns, Liverpool Acoustic
April Moon are an Alt-country duo hailing from the vast prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada.
They fell in love with the vibrant music scene in the UK. They have recently had live gigs up and down the country supporting Liverpool’s own Ian Prowse, and on their own at the Cavern, The Bedford London, festivals and The Atkinson in Southport.
They have released a full-length album The Other One Was You and a single Part Of The Game.
Collaborating with other songwriters is something that is new to April Moon. But it’s a challenge they have been most interested in taking in, ever since bringing in Jo Pue to play fiddle for their last single Part Of The Game. They know Jo and her fiddle from her time with Reckless Elbow as well as her duo The Skylarks, and her work with Melody Makers.
Happy Place is their new single in collaboration with Kirzy, a singer-songwriter from Brighton who got his start busking on the streets at the age of fourteen. On a gap year he fell in love with the people and and landscape of Fuerteventura. Six years on and Kirzy’s played hundreds of shows in the Canaries, Europe, and released a variety of original songs and covers that have a modern, folk-pop sound and often touch on the themes of travel and wanderlust. He’s known for collaborations with a variety of artists and his stunning music videos which capture the beauty of the island he has come to call home.
As Kirzy explains, “We all met on the island of Fuerteventura and I wanted us to write a song that makes you feel like you’re on holiday in the sun. I wanted to capture that feeling of returning to your happy place, after a long winter away. And I feel they have achieved this with this bright upbeat song, I am sure we all have a place we love to visit or people we love to spend time with, and this song evokes that feeling. I especially like the touch of slide guitar, and the line which in their own words “We were all out having a drink to discuss plans to write together and stumbled upon the line ‘and the sun goes down and comes back up again’ and I just knew that was the hook right away.”
Jason Moon recounts “I absolutely love that line!” Jaime April agrees – “It’s like it symbolizes this idea that happiness is a continuous and renewable experience and every time we come here, it feels like a new beginning.” I couldn’t of put it better myself!
Allan Cairns
Review © 2024 Allan Cairns for Liverpool Acoustic
Happy Place is available on Spotify and Bandcamp.