Tula Vera Remains As Cutting Edge As Ever, “The Moon & Her Creator” Review
Experimental rock group Tula Vera released their third project The Moon & Her Creator on June 23, 2023. The EP follows the band’s first two full-length albums and various singles from past years.
Opening with a haunting echo, the first track “I Sang To The Moon,” sets the scene for the project. Invoking some of the witchier production styles of Fleetwood Mac, the song is a mid-tempo indie rock track with unique style choices. One standout is the little dragging out of syllables after the chorus- performed with a slight snarl. The guitar licks are clean, especially towards the end throughout the massive electric guitar solo. Heavily reverbed and mixed with a solid percussion section, the track sets the mood flawlessly. The song ends by tying together the theme of the song and project as a whole, with a spoken outro that is seemingly an ode to the moon itself.
“I Hurt You” switches up the lyrical content with a confessional discussion of hurting someone that you love. Over thumping guitar riffs and sleeking vocals, the track stands on its own as well as fitting into the rest of the project. “I hurt you, I’m sorry baby / I hurt you, I know,” they admit. It ditches the haunting production of the intro for a grungier and more straightforward rock track that utilizes a very catchy melody in the choruses and more storytelling throughout the verses. While the verses seem more apologetic, the choruses seem more sly, providing a duality to the track.
“Liar Bitch” opens with a spoken verse, reminiscent of indie duo Wet Leg with a more scathing execution. “I didn’t know if I believed in ghosts / But I did just in case,” they say over a thumping low tempo drum and guitar track. This track shines for its softer, sleek rock production that utilizes the verses for its storytelling and amps it up for the chorus. The band writes about a person they are (very clearly) not very fond of- and they do it in a stunning way. It ends with a flurry of instrumentals leading to a more menacingly quiet and drawn-out interpretation of the previously almost-shouted chorus. What makes this song shine is the multiple facets the band gives it, making it more than just a song in terms of how it transforms throughout and utilizes their songwriting to its full capacity.
“Miles Away” is a lighter acoustic track compared to the more intense rock production of the other tracks. Focusing on a theme of having love for someone that is, as-stated in the title, miles away, and too far to want to exclaim to them, the band writes on struggling with this. “I could put it in a letter but I wouldn’t know what to say,” they breezily sing. “You’re miles away but I love you more each day.” The song is the sweetest and most romantic that the group gets on the project, easily expressing the yearning that they are feeling through soft vocals and some more classic alternative-sounding electric guitar licks.
Closer “Daisy Road” is another more alternative-leaning song, focusing on some piano playing and electric guitar. A standout moment comes from the end, when the instrumental gets cut and they sing, “Lately I’ve been feeling all alone.” A fitting closing line to a project focused around love and human interaction, the instrumentals cut back in for a short outro, and it ends. The vocals on the track are stunning and the instrumentals evolve throughout, perfectly fitting the lyrics and emotions behind them.
On The Moon & Her Creator, Tula Vera finds themselves cutting through genres seamlessly, in a way that still manages to be completely cohesive. The themes fade into each other amazingly and the songs are sung and produced just as well. The band manages to evolve not only throughout the project, but throughout the songs themselves.
The Moon & Her Creator is now available to stream and purchase on all platforms.