Three days after the drop of the NYC trio’s new track, we’re stoked to share the gorgeous accompanying piece of animated art
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I haven’t wanted to hit the dance floor sober since bars stopped playing the “Cupid Shuffle” (#OLD), but 15 seconds into Moon Kissed’s “Shake // Those Feelings” on a Sunday afternoon and I’ve never been more desperate to find some open space and spaz out under a disco ball—
As I’m sitting on the edge of my bed typing these words, my body is moving involuntarily. My shoulders are shimmying, my head is bobbing and my legs are squirming, desperate to break free from under my laptop and not just move but, like, grooooooove. (And not just “to the left, to the left, to the left, to the left…”)
That being said, while “Shake” def makes you want to dance, it isn’t actually related to shaking ~it~ at all. Instead it’s a song about losing that hardcore feeling of connection you used to have with someone, yearning for it and searching (unsuccessfully) for ways to cope with its absence.
“‘Shake’ is a song about longing – missing the feeling of intense excitement that someone used to give you,” Moon Kissed told me over email. “It’s a song sung from the numb of being in the ‘here’ when you want to be in the deep of back when.”
That sentiment is perfectly reflected in the song, which offers three minutes of pure dancey fun before fading into something softer and more… far-away…feeling to illustrate those feelings of sadness and nostalgia.
Now, three days after the drop of the dreamy track on Bandcamp, I’m thrilled for the opportunity to premiere the vibrant, shimmery and absolutely beautiful music video for “Shake” right here!
Neon dots and dashes. Kaleidoscopes of color and light. Amoebas bouncing, bending and swirling in Lisa Frank shades. Figures—which look like they were scrawled in magic marker—flexing, flowing and flashing across the screen. It’s upbeat and mesmerizing, a visual feast for deprived quarantined eyes and, quite honestly, a piece of work that I imagine (imagine) would prob be pretty awesome to watch on drugs.
After watching it ~100 times, I tracked down Gabriela Sibilska, the artist behind the visual magic, and got her take on the project—a seriously stunning video to accompany a totally stellar song—over DM:
“In my work, I love using conventionally ‘girly’ aesthetics (glitter, sparkles, pastel colors, cute drawings, widely understood kitsch…) to portray powerful, strong super-womxn. Working on this project with Moon Kissed was so much fun because I had complete freedom. When they sent me a video of their friend dancing to the song (who makes an iconic appearance), I just started by drawing this cartoony dance and it all got crazier from there. I made a lot of the backgrounds digitally, but there’s a good deal of highly processed analog experimental animation in there, too! Like a piece of sponge under a microscope, or some food coloring with baby oil on water, or … I don’t even know if there’s a name for them, but those pieces of foil with different patterns that make optical illusions when you move them… Having a great tune like this to work with helps a lot. I never ran out of ideas, plus, I sang along a LOT.”
That makes two of us. And whether you’re singing along and dancing in a bedroom (now) or a club (one day)—and whether you’re missing a person, a place or just, you know, normalcy—“Shake” is just the injection of joy that the music doctors ordered: a cure for boredom, lethargy and those goddamn pandemic blues.
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Follow Moon Kissed at @moonkissedmusic, buy their music at moonkissed.bandcamp.com and add the band to your Spotify playlists. Follow Gabriela Sibilska at @blagabalanga.
Feature image (provided by the band): Evan Parness