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Half Moon Run photo credit to, Jennifer McCord.
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New York, NY (March 3, 2023) – Montreal’s Half Moon Run return today with the first new music for 2023 with a propulsive, affirming sonic journey with new song, “You Can Let Go” out today on the band’s new label, BMG.
“In the back of my mind was a beautiful, truthful shouting,” says one of the group’s three singers, songwriters + multi instrumentalists, Devon Portielje.
The song’s verses recall the inducing cardiac panic of the group’s earliest hits, at least until the fever breaks and the chorus transcends into the sublime harmonies they have become universally known for. Portielje continues, “A tumultuous, transformative journey through the dark places of the mind towards, hopefully, the light.”
It’s no wonder transformation and self-reflection is on their minds. Since Half Moon Run’s last album, A Blemish in the Great Light (Glassnote/Universal, 2019), there’s been a global pandemic and a sea-change in the live music industry. Meanwhile, the band’s put out three releases—two EPs and a collection of reworked “isolation versions” of older songs.
They netted two Juno Awards both for ‘Adult Alternative Album of the Year’ in 2020 for A Blemish in the Great Light, and again in 2022 for their EP Inwards & Onwards. In 2021 they were nominated for ‘Group of the Year’ and also in 2016 for ‘Breakthrough Group.’ Half Moon Run also saw their fourth member, multi-instrumentalist Isaac Symonds, depart the band to move out West over these past years of change. The remaining trio— Devon Portielje, Conner Molander, and Dylan Phillips—are also the band’s founding trio and the foundation moving forward. The new track, was produced by Conner Seidel at Treehouse Studio. The lyric video was directed by Alex Tomlinson.
LISTEN TO + SHARE “You Can Let Go” HERE
WATCH + SHARE “You Can Let Go” HERE
Steve Nightingale, BMG VP, Recorded Music Canada, solidifies the new label partnership, “Not many bands have the musicianship, the emotionally driven songwriting and the breathtaking live show like Half Moon Run. Having admired them since their very early days, it is our absolute pleasure to bring them into BMG fold. Their new music is some of the best we’ve heard in many years and we are honored to partner with them to bring it to the world.”
The past few years has largely kept the band from doing what they indisputably excel at: touring, that which has become synonymous with the band’s name, fame, global accolades and dedicated audiences they have single-handedly built since they began internationally touring their first album, Dark Eyes in 2012. In the latter half 2022, Half Moon Run did play a select few dates, and unsurprisingly, some of their most successful shows yet: there were over 45,000 people on the Plains of Abraham for the final night of the Festival d’été de Québec; and ADISQ awarded the band another Félix (their fifth) for Best Anglophone Show of 2022.
Today, the group announce new shows for 2023 which include a North American Tour for later this year (on top of the already announced European dates) and some additional shows added in their home province of Quebec and Newfoundland. Half Moon Run are again partnering with Plus1. In the USA + Europe, 1$ from each ticket sale will go to the Syrian American Medical Society which is a U.S.- based charity that has been actively providing medical care in Syria since 1998. SAMS supports 110 medical facilities and over 3,000 medical personnel.
A fan ticket pre-sale is set for March 7, a Spotify pre-sale for March 8 and the general ticket on sale this Friday March 10. Stay tuned to Half Moon Run’s socials and newsletter for further details.
To those who know the constant creative prolific nature of Half Moon Run also know well, where there is one new song, there is bound to be many more. “All I can say is that our last EP was looking inwards and moving onwards, and now we’re maybe, looking upwards,” hints Portielje. More updates and details to come.
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Half Moon Run – “You Can Let Go” – Cover Art
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HALF MOON RUN – NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES 2023
October 24, 2023 @ El Rey Theater, Los Angeles, CA
October 25, 2023 @ August Hall, San Francisco, CA
October 27, 2023 @ Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
October 28, 2023 @ The Crocodile, Seattle, OR
October 29, 2023 @ Spanish Ballroom Tacoma, WA
November 1, 2023 @ Royal Theatre, Victoria, BC
November2, 2023 @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
November 3, 2023 @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
November 5, 2023 @ MacEwan Hall, Calgary, AB
November 7, 2023 @ Coors Event Centre, Saskatoon, SK
November 8, 2023 @ Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB
November 10, 2023 @ Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN
November 11, 2023 @ Metro, Chicago, IL
November 12, 2023 @ Saint Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, MI
November 14, 2023 @ The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA
November 16, 2023 @ Union Stage, Washington, VA
November 17, 2023 @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
November 18, 2023 @ Royale, Boston, MA
November 21, 2023 @ London Music Hall, London, ON
November 23, 2023 @ History, Toronto, ON
November 24, 2023 @ Kingston Grand Theatre, Kingston, ON
November 25, 2023 @ Algonquin Commons Theatre, Ottawa, ON
November 26, 2023 @ Algonquin Commons Theatre, Ottawa, ON
December 13, 2023 @ MTelus, Montreal, QC
December 14, 2023 @ MTelus, Montreal, QC
December 15, 2023 @ Salle Maurice-O’Bready, Sherbrooke, QC
December 17, 2023 @ Théâtre du Palais Municipal, Saguenay, QC
December 18, 2023 @ Grand Théâtre@ Quebec City, QC
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PAST PRAISE FOR HALF MOON RUN
“…social distancing has had no disruptive effect on Half Moon Run’s telepathic sense of interplay and divine four-way harmonies.”
– Apple Music (Seasons Of Change)“ Inwards & Onwards sees the trio shift their grandiose orchestral ambitions towards recording, engineering, producing and mixing the project themselves… Inwards & Onwards boldly walks the walk.” – Exclaim
“Simple acoustics back harmonious howls and layered percussion.”
– NEXT Mag
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