‘Friends from Moon’ acts as an outlet for blatant expression for human emotion: Ritwik Shivam

Express News Service

Musician and songwriter Ritwik Shivam aka Friends from Moon has often gravitated towards a range of genres. Shivam mentions he grew up listening to everything from American artist Danny Elfman’s music in the grandly-orchestrated Tim Burton’s classics to Danish composer Jesper Kyd’s dark and sombre tunes in old video games.

His latest single, Rage On is representative of his out-of-the-box musical style; distinctive and unconventional. In this edition of Soundscape, we speak to the Delhi-based artist about everything from his inspiration to his upcoming album, and more. Excerpts from the interview:

How would you describe your music? Any particular genres you prefer?

My musical style is rock-centric, and it is soundtrack-ish to a large extent. As a budding musician, the theatrics and grandeur associated with rock music resonated with me. Throughout my musical journey, there have been some specific artists – Devin Townsend, Colin Stetson, Adam Young, Mikael Akerfeldt, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Jesper Kyd, to name a few – who are responsible for spurring my creativity.

Listening to a chill/ambient record and a death metal record on the same day has resulted in my musical style, which is devoid of any single style or genre. But, I’d say my musical genres are death metal, progressive/alternative rock, and ambient music, co-existing in the same sonic palette. 

Can you explain the process of working on Rage On?

Rage On was born out of the guitar riff that you hear in the song, from which it developed into an elaborate structure. It is a by-product of my love for direct, melodic, and powerful songs. Lyrically, it has a lot to do with the idea of longing for a place and time in the past, the ephemeral nature of ‘now’, and finding peace in solitude.

Sonically, I wanted to create a space for sounds that would make one feel almost euphoric, weightless in a sense. Kudos to my friends and artists Atyant and Akarsh Jain; they made a lyric video.

What was the inspiration behind your solo project Friends from Moon?

Friends from Moon is all about being grand, heavy, and cathartic. The moniker was born out of my vision to construct a world where every broken soul could dive in and feel a certain kind of strength and acceptance.

It acts as an outlet for blatant expression of every human emotion. My intention with this [project] is to share my best musical experiences, which have been inspired from sights and sounds around the world.

Tell us about your forthcoming album Astray?

Astray is an eight-track-long concept album with a heavy existentialist narrative and is due to release in spring 2022. I think it is a pure reflection of a state of mind in which you begin to see through the surface of everything, question your worth, willingly detach from the optimist to embrace the pessimist.

The tracks transform from vigorous punk, hard rock to sombre progressive rock to experimental-fusion dark soundscapes to technical death metal, concluding with melancholic ambient rock and soundtrack music.

Friends From Moon’s ‘Come Together’ releases on all major streaming platforms on October 29.

Song: Rage On 

Artist: Friends from Moon

Album: Astray