As koleżanka, Phoenix-born and Brooklyn-based Kirstina Moore, along with multi-instrumentalist Ark Calkins, writes songs about the anti-place, a state of being understood by truckers, deckhands, flight attendants, and touring musicians. An in-between existence where home becomes blurry and improvised routines provide temporary comfort. Her songs grapple with the anxieties we often push away or have been trained to view as normal. Facing the world head-on isn’t an easy task and her new single, at once chaotic yet perfectly calculated, speaks to the social jockeying for position that often proliferates art communities.
Check out the worldly flavored track “Vegan Sushi“ from koleżanka. With a charming articulated approach, Moore rests in an indie sheen sound palace, fueled by synthesizer coloring and an unshakable low-end groove. “Vegan Sushi” swings somewhere between funk fusion and indie-rock, lush and radiant in feel and atmosphere, radiating with the eclectic charm of Stereolab and Tortoise.
“A friend of mine made a joke recently about being “so excited” to return to normal social life so we can all hang out with a bunch of fake new york scenesters who are trying to gain social clout by showing face and making friends. I wrote this about going to bars, shows, or other social events and falling into “industry” discussions, usually tinged with resentment, of who’s making it and who’s not, who deserves it and who doesn’t, etc. And there was always this game of whether or not someone would take interest in talking to you based on who you know or or what band you’re in that I found exhausting. But you spend so much time in it you wonder if you do the same thing after a while,” says Moore.
