Empty Moon – ‘The Shark’ (album stream) (Premiere)

Emtpy Moon is the name of singer/songwriter Brendan Hangauer’s recently formed solo project, which he devised after departing the band Fourth of July, with whom he spent ten years making three records with. Part of that departure also included moving from Lawrence, Kansas to Oakland, California. Joined by Jason Quever of Papercuts in the recording process, Hangauer crafted the LP The Shark, a stripped-down collection of primarily acoustic tunes. With sonic parallels including alt-country (“High Hopes”) and Bay Area indie folk (“Far Away”), The Shark signals a step in a new direction for Hangauer.

Hangauer tells PopMatters this about the LP: “I feel like The Shark is a great next step for me musically and lyrically. I couldn’t be happier with the way it was recorded. I think it is my most mature album I have ever made.”

The Shark is out on November 4th through High Dive.