With an onslaught of fuzzy rumbling guitars that has a buzz-saw edge, the debut single from Eora/Sydney trio Moderate Lovers is a poignant reminder that change and evolution aren’t always for the good. It’s a debut single we are honoured to premiere, giving you a first taste of something quite special.
Firmly grounded in a nineties-style velvet glove over a steel fist, with a sound redolent of fellow compatriots You Am I or, from further afield, Dinosaur Jnr or Pavement, ‘Lost City’ hides within its impassioned melodic delivery and wall of sound a glimmer of hope and resilience. It’s scenario many of us are familiar with: a heady nostalgia mixed with sadness at the passage of time and the loss of things we hold dear from our youth:
On dark nights I walk past
Closed music venues
And grieve this Lost City
But the war isn’t won
Don’t think we’re done.
Singer/guitarist Mick Wilson says of the track:
The song is a loud and distorted tale of lost love and lost friendships, in a city that’s lost too much of its late-night grittiness after years of gentrification. But as the song says, “the war isn’t won, don’t think we’re done!”
For those of us with memories of the great Sydney music venues from the eighties and nineties, the accompanying film clip directed and edited by Saul Foster and filmed by Toni Wilson, is a wry look at some of the iconic places that we of a certain vintage all visited and played in, as the band try and find a venue to ply their trade in the modern world. Tick them off and weep:
‘Lost City’ is out tomorrow (Thursday, 5 June 2025) and available to download and stream via all the usual sites here and through the link below. An EP is also on the way.
Moderate Lovers are:
Saul Foster – drums
Adam Taylor – bass
Mick Wilson – guitar, vocals
Did anyone mention the Marrickville Sound?
You can catch the band live over the coming months – including their debut gig. Details are:
‘Lost City’ Single Launch
Sat 7 June @ Moshpit Bar, Newtown
w/ Grids & Dots and Pressure Point
Facebook event – free
Single Launch
Sat 19 July, 3-6pm @ The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
w/ St Peters
EP Launch
Fri 29 Aug, 8-11pm @ The Golden Barley, Enmore
w/ Wifey
