Postcards from the Sun to the Moon is a cosmic travelogue that never loses sight of the intimate moments and fine details within its vast sonic landscape.
Dawn to Dawn positions its music “halfway between spectral dream-pop and abstract dance-oriented soundscapes.” With their full-length debut, Postcards from the Sun to the Moon, the Montreal-based trio finds the perfect balance between these opposing celestial forces.
The band of Tess Roby, Adam Ohr, and Patrick Lee started when the three met and hung out for the first time without the inkling of making music together. From there, their friendship (like the universe itself) expanded into musical collaboration as each member inspired and sparked creativity in the others, drawing one another into their orbit. Dawn to Dawn’s sound is an aural representation of this band’s big bang moment: an infinitely expanding ambient exploration of detailed synth textures, minimalist melodies, and subtle rhythms.
The first moments on the opening track, “Anniversary,” smoulder like a distant solar flare before settling into its soft rhythmic, undulating chillout bliss. “Meridian” picks up the tempo like a silent rocket hurtling to the moon’s dark side. Roby’s voice is deep, resonant, and moody, and her singing feels like a prayer or a mantra, fueling the song deeper into the ether. “A Colour Named By You” acts as a counterpoint, a delicate melody of simple synths floating aimlessly in the cosmos as Roby calls to mind Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser, an aesthetic the band returns to on closing track, “Lanes.”
Later tunes “With U” and “Ecology” can’t avoid the gravitational pull of the dancefloor; both are electrically charged and —compared to the album’s other songs — beat-heavy cuts that once again bring a sense of balance to Dawn to Dawn’s mission. Postcards from the Sun to the Moon is the ultimate road trip album for when you’re going where you don’t need roads. It’s a cosmic travelogue that never loses sight of the intimate moments and fine details within its vast sonic landscape.
