Emerging from the vibrant heart of Toronto’s indie underground, ONE HUNDRED MOONS is quickly carving out a space as one of the most compelling new voices in shoegaze, dream pop, and post-rock. The five-piece—Collin Young, Jen Vella, Justin Hunt, Matt Laplante, and NJ Borreta—weaves immersive soundscapes where shimmering guitar textures, hazy atmospheres, and slow-burning rhythms converge. Their music feels less like a collection of songs and more like a place you step into: introspective, hypnotic, and beautifully unmoored from the rush of everyday life. On 16th November, they released a nine-song record called “Black Avalanche”. Let’s discuss it.

The album opens with “Black Avalanche”. The track opens with a burst of energy, driven by a vibrant drum groove and a sharp, engaging guitar melody that immediately pulls you into its momentum. The title track sets the stage for a confrontation with an inevitable, overwhelming darkness, which is open to interpretation—either a crushing external force or a debilitating internal state. The lyrics often feel like fragmented thoughts during an emotional freefall.  The sound is built on a thick “wall of sound” of heavily reverberated, bright guitars. A live, punchy drum rhythm pushes against the wash, establishing the “rock record” feel while maintaining the genre’s textural core. The submerged vocals force the listener to strain, mirroring the theme of a deeply personal crisis struggling to break through the overwhelming noise.

Next is “Death of the Party”. From the first seconds, a funky, grooving bass melody takes the lead, supported by a steady drum rhythm and crisp electric-guitar strums that pull you right into the track’s feel. The lyrics suggest the moment after the climax, where the excitement has died and the remaining atmosphere is one of lingering melancholy and emptiness. It’s about feeling alienated or disconnected, even while the music continues. The track shifts into a slightly more defined, shadowed groove. The bassline is more active and repetitive than the first track, anchoring a subtle rhythmic pulse. The atmosphere is less of a roar and more of a hazy, mid-tempo spiral, giving the feeling of slow, resigned movement in a vast space.

“Chairman of the bored” is the song that comes next. The song opens with a steady electric-guitar melody that is instantly captivating, drawing you in with its subtle charm and melodic pull. The song seems to focus squarely on detachment, boredom, and existential isolation. The lyrics likely capture the sensation of listless observation, where internal life is stagnant and disconnected from external reality. The song is a departure into pure dream pop. The dynamics are significantly reduced, featuring cleaner, ethereal guitar tones drenched in chorus and wide reverb. The tempo slows to a drift. This spacious, floating sonic quality directly translates the lyrical theme of weightlessness and passive observation.

“Ear to ear” is the next song. The track begins with a gorgeous electric-guitar line, its shimmer amplified by a lively drum rhythm that instantly sets an upbeat and exhilarating tone. The song seems to explore themes of tension, anxiety, and secret intimacy or obsession. The lyrics create a sense of being trapped in a whispered confession or a recurring, haunting thought loop. The sound is hypnotic and slightly unsettling. It relies on dissonant, winding guitar lines and minor chords that twist to create tension. The drums are minimal and driving, locking into a repetitive rhythm that emphasizes the vibe of the song. The vocals are particularly spectral and low in the mix, making them feel like the “whisper in a dark corridor” that the music surrounds.

Next up is called “Shade of Night”. The track begins with a distorted, shadowy melody that feels both rousing and ethereal, pulling you into its mysterious atmosphere. The thematic nadir represents a moment of resigned despair and emotional coldness. The lyrics likely address the feeling of being engulfed by shadow and finding a bleak acceptance in that state. This is one of the slowest and most minimalist pieces. The arrangement is dramatically sparse, allowing the long, mournful sustain of the minor-key guitars to dominate. The simplicity amplifies the emotional weight, making the atmosphere feel immense, cold, and unforgiving.

Up next is called “Volodya”. A soft, tambourine-like flutter sets the stage, soon joined by a dark and eerie melody that slips in and out of focus, crafting an irresistible and haunting opening. The rhythm is revived here, offering a compelling, propulsive momentum beneath the texture. The sound is lush and focused, blending the hazy walls with a more defined melodic structure. The feeling of the music is like a cinematic journey, where the movement forward is palpable and simply delicious!

The seventh song on the album is called “Hall of Mirrors”. Right away, the track unveils an ethereal, breathtaking melody that captures your attention and refuses to let go. Reflective and introspective, likely dealing with self-examination and the fragmentation of identity or memory. The “mirrors” suggest seeing oneself from multiple, confusing perspectives. The track opens up with prominent synth pads and layered, ambient harmonies, giving the sound a broader, almost cosmic scale. This introduction of new instrumental elements mirrors the thematic shift to a different perspective, treating the memories and emotions with a more wistful, shimmering texture than earlier tracks.

The second-to-last song is called “The Architect”. A stretched, shimmering synth note sets the opening scene, gradually giving way to a brooding and dramatic soundscape. It explores personal agency, self-created pressure, and the mental structures we build—being both the builder and the prisoner of one’s own design. It’s about realizing the responsibility for one’s inner world. This is a powerful and structurally rigid track. It’s built on tight, defined instrumental interplay and controlled dynamics, showcasing the band’s rock foundation. The intentional, driving rhythm and weaving guitar parts create a sense of deliberate construction, directly correlating with the theme of building or defining one’s own reality.

The last song on the album is called “Into Nowhere”. This song opens with an exciting and foot-tapping drum beat before the amazing guitar melody sets in. The final acceptance of an open-ended journey. The lyrics convey a peaceful resignation to not having a final answer or destination, simply drifting into the unknown. The album’s expansive, concluding soundscape. It integrates all the textural elements—thick guitars, ambient synths, and sustained atmospheres—into a final, cohesive piece. The track is designed to slowly dissolve and fade, allowing the listener to float on the residual sound, perfectly summarizing the album’s emotional arc of surrendering control.

This album is the very essence of ONE HUNDRED MOONS’ signature craft: creating music that speaks directly to themes of longing, fractured memory, and emotional transformation without ever succumbing to predictability.

As they continue to refine their expansive vision, ONE HUNDRED MOONS is far more than just a band to keep an eye on—they are an essential, visceral experience. Their sound is vast, emotionally resonant, and entirely captivating, capable of rendering the most crushing psychological weights with an unsettling, breathtaking grace.

Stream the “Black Avalanche” album on Spotify or SoundCloud

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