Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Radium Moon is an Alternative-Rock trio consisting of multitalented musicians Sandrine Chouinard, Brandon Muir, and Raphael Poletti. With their own unique talents and tastes, Sandrine is a vocalist and bassist, Brandon is a vocalist and guitarist, and Raphael brings the heat with his percussion. As a group, Radium Moon refuses to box themselves into one genre and instead draws inspiration from a variety of music styles. They released their debut single “Life is a Lie” in March 2020, and followed with a self-titled EP in June 2020.
The alt-rock song begins with a heavy focus on guitar riffs and thumping percussion, introducing their traditional heavy rock style. Soon after, Radium Moon surprises fans with punk-style vocals – proving their musical diversity. Throughout “Life is a Lie,” they continue to keep the listener on their toes with a dynamic flow of music styles. During the chorus, vocalists Sandrine and Brandon scream with passion, whereas in the verses, take on more of a mellow voice. Radium Moon sings about ‘waking up from the life you live’ in an effort to bring the listener into the present moment and encourage introspection. To finish up the song, the last minute and twenty seconds are entirely instrumental. Raphael maintains the good vibes with his consistent beat as the guitarists show off their talent with electric riffing and solos.
Could you tell us about how your group collaborates when creating music?
Well, we don't just sit down and decide to write a song. The song is usually there already, we just have to figure out how to play it. It's usually something that just comes together based on a riff that Brandon has stumbled upon while playing guitar on his own time. Our typical practice usually starts out with Brandon saying "Hey, I got this new riff.." Things just kinda go from there. Sandrine will come up with a bass line that throws everything together and then Raphael (Raph/Raff) will throw us a curveball rhythm that takes the song in a whole different direction....always for the better. Other times...garbage comes out from all of us...but that's showbiz baby!
Can you tell us about the meaning behind your lyrics for “Life is a Lie?”
Well, hmmm. Fear of rejection, teenage angst, realization, growth, questioning your modern instincts towards face value....really it can mean whatever you want it to mean, just depends on your mood at the time.
How did you come up with your band name Radium Moon? What does it represent?
Well like every other band, it starts with a list! A big freakin list! Do you know how hard it is to find a name that's unique, has great imagery, sounds cool, and isn't taken already!? We just couldn't agree so we settled on the name we hated the least and it grew on us. We can't imagine having any other name.
We loved what we heard from “Life is a Lie.” How does this song compare to the songs from your self titled EP?
Well, the EP is kind of eclectic. As a whole, it makes sense. It all fits, yet it has different tones or moods to each song. 'Stand up and run' has an upbeat tempo and a pop-rock like an approach, 'Wonderful' is just fun, anthemic and heavy, 'Don't ask why' is melodic until it punches you in the face. ....and then you have 'Life is a lie' that just goes straight to punching you in the face.
What has been keeping you inspired throughout 2020?
Well, our EP came out in June of 2020, so literally the worst time ever for an independent new band unable to play shows and sell CDs. But the online response was so positive that we didn't even question getting back into the studio. We have a new single coming out in the fall! We wish we could release all the new material at once but since we can't perform right now we are planning on releasing a few more singles throughout 2020/2021. We are very much looking forward to expanding our online presence in the hopes of gaining some new fans abroad before we (hopefully) tour in 2021.