What started out as escapism from existential angst has morphed into artistic assuredness for San Diego, California-based dream pop band moondaddy. In just a few years, the buzzed-about quintet’s singer,
songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Cara Potiker has gone from hazily sketching out tunes in her bedroom to tripping out audiences and turning heads with moondaddy’s mesmerizing live show.
moondaddy’s latest, Lightwave Lightwave, out this fall on vinyl and available via all streaming platforms, takes its fearless and transcendent live show into the studio for a bold, completely analog recording
experience. From tracking live to cutting vinyl, the entire process involved no computers. “This is the first project that sounds exactly the way I want my music to sound. I didn’t have the confidence before, and I just let men take reins,” Cara says. She continues: “My vision really came to life on this analog EP—we went all the way crazy with the technology.” The resulting four-song collection achieves that rare feat of sounding otherworldly, vintage, and current all at the same time. Lightwave Lightwave was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas and co-produced by Manuel Calderon (Animal Collective, Portugal. The Man, Beach House) and mastered/cut from the tapes to a lacquer by Paul Gold (Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, and LCD Soundsystem) at Salt Mastering.
moondaddy is both emotionally evocative and lyrically abstract. Cara curates sparkling and dusky soundscapes replete with meticulously-crafted instrumental tones. Songs patiently unfold with immersive and imaginative arrangements. Cara’s richly expressive vocals inhabit the songs in diverse ways, haunting the music with low-toned singing while other times soaring above with phoenix-like majesty. Her lyrics are enigmatic, viscerally emotional, and poetic—defining feelings clearly without belaboring linear narratives. The band’s artfully impressionistic aesthetic comes to life onstage with its live show which features a stunning installation of projected visuals created by NYC-based artist Blair Neal.
Since forming in 2020, moondaddy has released the critically-acclaimed debut, Poet Lies, and toured tirelessly. The band has embarked on a SoCal junket up to San Francisco, performing at The Casbah (San Diego), Resident (Los Angeles), and Bottom of The Hill (San Francisco). moondaddy has done a Pacific Northwest tour from San
Francisco to Portland and Seattle. The band has done a four-date Southwest tour from New Mexico to Texas, capped off by their live-to-tape recording session at Sonic Ranch. moondaddy have been direct support for DeVotchKa’s sold out West Coast tour, and opened for Cryogeyser and Peel Dream Magazine. Recently, the quintet played a sold-out, 2700-person show opening for Beabadoobie at Soma Mainstage. “When I stepped out onstage, I couldn’t believe what was happening. I almost couldn’t meet the moment,” Cara recalls.
Lightwave Lightwave finds Cara reuniting with Manuel at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas with her band for all-analog recording sessions. The lineup for the EP includes Julia Rahm, synthesizer and harmony vocals; Patrick Heaney, drums; Rob Wren, bass; and Gabe Poissant, guitar. The band tracked live in the studio directly to tape. “I loved recording this way because there is an immediate finality to the process. Tape is limited so you can’t endlessly tinker,” Cara says. The EP’s darkly alluring first single, “Water Bearer,” features Cara’s richly expressive low-register vocal blanketed by waves of ethereal textures, glistening electric guitars, and spare and precise drumming. Towards the song’s end is a stunning operatic passage performed by vocalist-keyboardist, Julia Rahm, Cara’s partner. “Water Bearer” is an homage to the depth and strength of their relationship, and Cara’s lyrics here are poetic and full of gorgeous longing. One striking passage is: Oh I’m wading/And I’m melting/Trying to find shore/Every time I think I’ve grasped you/I’m swallowed by your war /You are driven by a longing/That will never sway/But my stuck heart/Calls and barters/Til I’m washed away.
“Light Wave” unfolds with gentle psychedelic grandeur. Cara’s tender vocals, the delicate layers of ambience, and the subtle and slow synth cries create a trancelike musicality. Below this beautiful sonic reverie are Cara’s insightful lyrics on political division, and the toll it can sometimes take on personal relationships. moondaddy’s meditative “Conquer Me” is a rumination on lost love in he multiverse. There is a spectral feel to the song with its fragile, textured musicality, and Cara’s mesmerizing slow-burn vocals. Faint guitar melodies almost feel like cries from haunted love. “Nameless, Faceless” oozes 1970s ethereal glamour with its chiming melodies, reverb-drenched guitars, gently warbling synths, and Cara’s softly flowing vocals.
Cara plans to return to Sonic Ranch to record moondaddy’s sophomore album all analog. Pondering the journey of making Lightwave Lightwave, Cara says: “Making this EP taught me it’s worth it to make art for art’s sake. We captured something special in the studio, and I will never forget leaving the ranch with the finished EP.”