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When you promote independent artists and, at the same time, are part of Luna Keller’s circle, you find yourself in a tricky situation.
There’s a very good side: you get to meet lots of people like Luna, people who are genuinely kind at heart and artists with a natural gift for giving chills. The downside is that you meet so many of them (maybe even too many) which means you can’t give them all the attention they deserve. And that’s something I sometimes regret.
Of course, I’ve already watched a few of Jory Avner’s livestreams on Twitch (that’s where the two artists met). And I quickly noticed that these two were destined to get along. So, it’s no surprise that Jory Avner is part of the seemingly endless list of people Luna Keller writes and records collaborations with. Both are incredibly sensitive souls, and I knew their meeting of minds would result in emotional sparks. As I listened to “Paper Moon” for the first time, I immediately got goosebumps. Obviously.
It starts with a combination of elements that never fail to give me chills: acoustic guitar and piano. The piano is an instrument that’s very dear to me because I’ve played it since I was a kid, and it’s always fascinated me. Sadly, I don’t hear it often enough in the songs submitted to me. As I continued listening, I glanced at the press release and noticed Dominic Romano’s name. Then, not long after, Harley Eblen’s cello appeared, and I thought to myself, “Okay, we’ve got the dream team.”
Yes, Luna knows how to surround herself! Here we have an artist from Chicago, another based in Cologne, Germany, and a production coming from California: a planetary effort for a song that crossed oceans multiple times, back and forth, for our ultimate listening pleasure. Today, we get to enjoy this little gem that feels so relatable.
As Luna explained, “Paper Moon” is about this “perpetual search for meaning.” To me, it echoes “Patterns,” a song from her album “Ocean Inside of Me.” That track deals with cycles of self-destruction that keep repeating. In the interview for the first issue of this magazine, Luna mentioned that “you can’t keep doing the same things and expect a different result.”
“Paper Moon” seems to reflect that realization, wrapped in breathtaking beauty thanks to majestic vocal harmonies, Harley Eblen’s magical cello, Dominic Romano’s unmistakable touch, and the incredible mastering work of Sam Moses. It’s yet another little treasure to add to your playlists.
Jory Avner & Luna Keller’s take on “Paper Moon”
I remember hearing one of Jory’s songs for the first time and feeling so deeply seen. He manages to hit you with the spaces between the lines unlike anyone else. We have quite different approaches to writing technically but our emotional connection to music is similar. It’s a great combination because we both got to bring our unique voice to it while still speaking the same language. It hits me hard every time, recording the vocals was hard cause I felt like crying quite often.
Working with Luna on this song has been a deeply enriching experience. When I first heard her music, I was immediately captivated by her ability to balance the sort of light and darkness with her lyrics and melodies. She’s also just a prolific songwriter in her own right, and working together I feel has expanded my own view of the process. Our new song is definitely something that comes from an all too familiar place not just for both of us, but I feel anyone and everyone in these strange times.
