If you search Merce Lemon on Twitter, you’ll see a ream of great artists who have asked the Pittsburgh singer-songwriter to join them on tour, many of them Balloon Machine favourites – Honey Cutt, Yowler, Yohuna and Rose Dorn. It’s a nod to the respect her songwriting commands in the DIY community and a suggestion of the success her peers suspect might follow.
The ever-reliable Crafted Sounds are re-issuing her first two EPs; both were recorded by Great Grandpa’s Dylan Hanwright. They announced this release with ‘Moon Shots (Demo)’, a track that originally appeared on label sampler ‘Bridges’. I often find listening to playlists a passive experience, yet whenever ‘Moon Shots (Demo)’ is drawn out of the deck, I’m immediately brought to a standstill, captivated entirely by Lemon’s reverb-heavy guitar and her charming vocals. Other than the addition of an occasional straining synth, the song stays true to its humble beginnings, Lemon keenly aware that simplicity is her friend not her enemy. Oddly addictive, you make return visit after return visit to ‘Moon Shots (Demo)’, the stillness it supplies providing the perfect tonic to the busy everyday. Though it runs at just over two minutes, it lingers in the ether long after its final strum, the singer drawing you into a space of contemplation that you’re happy to bathe in for a while.
