Allison & Moon are a power pop/punk trio from Boston who are ready to make their mark on the music industry with their striking blend of captivating lyrics and booming beats.
Made up of frontwoman Allison, drummer Courtney and bass player Mike, the trio actually began with Allison as a soloist, before she took to the internet to find her fellow bandmates. The rest, as they say, is history, and now the band are about to show the world what they’re made of with their new single ‘Puppy Love’.
Despite being promoted for a February 15 release, the band have kindly surprised fans by releasing ‘Puppy Love’ a day early – the perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day. The high energy offering perfectly captures the essence of the band, and marks a promising future for the trio.
We spoke to Allison & Moon about ‘Puppy Love’, and what the future has in store for the band. Check out what they had to say below.
Congratulations on new single ‘Puppy Love’. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song?
Allison: Sure! When I started writing I was in a bit of a creative rut and I wanted to challenge myself to write a song as good or better than our single ‘Covered’ which has been by far a crowd favorite. I started writing a hook around the time I was getting more serious with my now-girlfriend. We had been falling for each other but were both a bit too nervous to say it.
The lyrics from the first verse are an adaptation of a conversation we had on my birthday…she actually asked me if I think dogs fall in love! I took that one little line and tried to expand on that idea of puppy love, and why it’s called that. From there, the music fell around it. I tried to keep it lighter in the verses to reflect on the feelings we have for each other, though the song is sprinkled with a lot of tension and a little aggression because there was a lot of pent up emotions at the time that I couldn’t wait to release.
What was the creative process like? How long did it take for the song to develop from an idea to the final product?
Allison: In our process, typically I write the songs on guitar with vocals, and then Mike and Courtney take the draft I record and write their bass and drum parts. A lot of times the song structure changes a bit based on their input, and I’ve even changed lyrics and melodies to fit the new version of the song better. For ‘Puppy Love’, we followed that process as well.
I just looked back at my phone and it looks like the first voice memo I recorded with the idea was on June 8, 2019, four days after my birthday! It took me about a month or so to put all the pieces together, and then we took the summer to write the bass and drums, and we finally recorded it in November.
What’s your favorite lyric from ‘Puppy Love’?
Allison: My favorite line is the opening line because it was the inspiration for the song and was my spark of creativity.
“It’s called puppy love for a reason.
When you asked me, “do you think that dogs fall in love?”
that’s the first thing that I thought of
Courtney: “I like the between me and you there’s tension line.”
Allison & Moon began as a solo project, with Allison, before becoming a band. Can you tell us about how the band came together?
Allison: Yeah, so essentially I never wanted to be a solo artist. I never even thought I would be a lead singer. I always wanted to be a guitarist in a band, or learn drums. I was getting older and nothing was coming together so I said screw it and became a one-woman band, releasing music with some studio musicians. After putting out The Sea, there were opportunities to play shows, and I wanted to be in a band. So I reached out on Craigslist and found Mike and Courtney. Though they are a bit more laid back than I am, we fit together pretty seamlessly from the start. Now we all have a hand in the writing and decision making.
How has the dynamic changed since releasing and creating music as a band rather than just Allison as a soloist?
Allison: Honestly, the dynamic is a little similar in that I write a song, and Mike and Courtney add their pieces. That said, it’s become a bit more collaborative, and the song doesn’t stay as locked into its original form. I’m much more open to ideas and experimentation, and they make the songs better, and fuller.
Who are some of your musical influences as a band?
Allison: Well, obviously Paramore as they are the best band in the world. To be honest I’m influenced by a lot of pop artists, a handful of indie artists, and some heavier bands but my steadfast favorites include ABBA, Daughter, Tegan and Sara, MUNA, Lady Gaga, World’s Greatest Dad, Alt-J.
Mike: Paramore and Taking Back Sunday.
You’ll be heading out on tour in support of ‘Puppy Love’. What can we expect from an Allison & Moon live show?
Allison: I think honesty more than anything. We’re a relatively new band finding our footing so while we like to put on an energetic show, we play in smaller venues, bars, and places with not a lot of pizzazz. It’s a no-frills rock show, we’re goofy, and I try to make people laugh.
Mike: All the energy!
There’s already an Allison & Moon full-band EP and an acoustic EP which gives a taste of your sound. Are you working towards an album? If so, what can we expect from it?
Allison: We’d love to work on an album, but we’ll be saving that for the future! These days it’s a bit easier for DIY bands to put out singles and smaller releases, so we plan to put out another EP later in 2019. This release will be more “us” as all of us will have written and played on all of the songs, rather than just me.
What do you hope that fans will take away from your music?
Allison: I hope that people get inspired to realize that they can get out and do what they want to do. I put so many limitations on myself until I realized, hey, I can make music if I want to. Sure, our songs are emotional, and I hope they resonate on that level as well. I think it’s more important than ever that folks feel empowered.
Mike: I hope that our music has emotional authenticity and that music will resonate with people on an emotional level.
What would you like to achieve together as a band?
Allison: I’m excited to continue writing and finding our voice as a band, moving beyond my solo releases. On ‘Puppy Love’, we already sound different, and these two have been challenging me already.
Mike: Reach as many people as possible while playing music that we can stand behind.
What do you have planned for the rest of 2019?
Allison: We are going on our first tour with the release of our first full-band single! We will follow up with a music video. After that, we have some shows booked including a mini-festival in Boston. And we’re expecting to put out an EP later this year, so we’re constantly writing and recording.
Thank you to Allison & Moon for their time. Make sure you check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and on their website.
You can also listen to their music on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.