Crayon Shades Live: Moderate Lovers on Songs, DIY Clips & N.W.A. Surprises

Aaron sits down with Mick Wilson of Moderate Lovers to discuss the band’s debut EP Crayon Shades, track-by-track stories (including “Lucy’s Gardening,” “Lost City” and a surprise N.W.A. cover), DIY video-making and songwriting influences.

The episode also shares upcoming gig dates, a mental-health shout-out, and a reminder to support indie music via Bandcamp Friday.

For Fans Of: Pavement, Screamfeeder, Dinosaur Jr, Swervedriver

Moderate Lovers are an indie pop/rock three-piece band from Sydney who write skewed melodic tunes with a pinch of jangle, a dash of distortion, and a healthy serving of observational dry wit. Alongside musical touchstones such as Pavement and Dinosaur Jr, you can hear the rich lineage of Australian indie music, as well as various bands from Flying Nun Records, in their sonic DNA. Indeed, their own musical resume includes time spent treading the boards with local bands such as Soap Star Joe, Starky, Restless Leg, and Froggy Prinze. Forming in 2024 after a few drinks at the Townie (aka The Town Hall Hotel, Newtown), Mick Wilson, Saul Foster, and Adam Taylor began crafting Wilson's musical sketches into a full set of indie rock earworms. In short time, they started taking those songs to live stages and appreciative audiences across the inner west of Sydney.

The band’s first single, ‘Lost City’, burst onto Australian community radio sounding like Swervedriver fronted by Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices, with a brilliant 'lost Sydney music scene' video in tow. They quickly followed it up with 'Lucy's Gardening Again', a song overflowing with sweet harmonies and jangly guitars reminiscent of the '60s British Invasion sound and modern exponents such as Teenage Fanclub.

“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.” - Backseat Mafia

We get a chance to chat to Mick Wilson from Moderate Lovers LIVE on Tuesday 16th September from 8:00 pm AEST, join in the chat anytime.