Moontower Returns With “When I Say I Love You I’ll Try Not To Mean It”
Thalia Eyles
Los Angeles electro-pop band Moontower consisting of Jacob Berger, Tom Carpenter, and Devan Welsh returns to the scene after their 2023 debut album Season 2: Air Take Care with the personal upbeat jam titled “When I Say I Love You I’ll Try Not To Mean It.” The release captures the ambiance of a party, the questionable decisions you make on a night out, and the frustration of not getting attention from the one person you’re dying to get it from.
The pop-punk undertones bring punchy, dirty guitar notes that work with a quick syncopated beat to build emotional and musical intensity. “When I Say I Love You I’ll Try Not To Mean It” is an upbeat song that conceals the emotionally fraught, devastating, and outstandingly catchy lyrics.
The track builds off ballads about the queer plight of hiding yourself, hiding your relationship, and struggling with feelings for a closeted person, “We are talking too close to be just friends, you hope that nobody tells your girlfriend, I can’t keep you straight, you can’t stay away.” The uptempo tune masks the heartbreak and the subject’s blurry straightness betrays the reality of the mutual desperation and magnetic pull. Broken, false promises are scattered throughout the song; the singer promises to try not to fall for the subject who promises that he’s straight; both are empty. One hides their feelings, and one hides the other “in the corner.”
The sonic qualities of this single contrast intensely with the plaintive acoustic track released alongside it, “You’re Not A Friend Tonight.” The lyrics of the two pair perfectly—the acoustic track reading as introspection on the reality of the relationship (or lack thereof) constructed in “When I Say I Love You I’ll Try Not To Mean It.” Both strike notes of emotional emptiness and romantic disappointment. The musical range demonstrated in this contrast proves Moontower’s capabilities and promises exciting things for future releases. The trio is currently on an American tour with Sub-Radio running through March, don’t miss out!
