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Mixtape 43
mixtapes John Moran mixtapes John Moran

Mixtape 43

Typically, the way I make these is by finding the tracks I most want to listen to, or spend more time with, and dropping them in over the course of the month. Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s the state of the world, but this collection skews slow and tranquil, with lovely string arrangements, deep analog synthesizers, and hypnotic vocal effects. I suppose the songs that have felt the best this month have been the songs that have brought a sense of…

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Superblooms
John Moran John Moran

Superblooms

I watch people's faces when I tell them I'm going to Death Valley again. There’s some part of me that enjoys their furrowing brows, the concern taking over their expression. Their eyes wander over my face, checking the wrinkles around my eyes, watching my fading smile, looking for signs of failing mental health or acuity. Some are outright afraid, as though…

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TIME!
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TIME!

TIME! is out today. Experts in music marketing will tell you that the worst thing you can say about a song is that it’s ‘out today.’ For me to say that TIME! is out, and that it is the second half of Lonely One Last Time, is simply not enough of a story. It would be much wiser to…

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No New Friends - The New Sad Disco Single
releases John Moran releases John Moran

No New Friends - The New Sad Disco Single

No New Friends is out everywhere today. It’s wild to me that it’s finally here, in your hands and off my hard drives. I recorded the instrumental for this song years ago (2022), but I wasn’t able to fully realize the song until much later. I had been working on Sad Disco as a concept, an idea, for a year at least, but the blend of moods, the recipe for this new genre didn’t always seem to set…

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Necromancer - Out Today
John Moran John Moran

Necromancer - Out Today

Necromancer is out today. A collaboration with Breyer White, with visuals from Maddy Sevilla. Lyrics and photos below.

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Mixtape 42
mixtapes John Moran mixtapes John Moran

Mixtape 42

I can’t decide if this playlist leans too far into dance territory, or too far into chilled out indie vibes. Either way, to me, it feels good from start to finish.

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Bootleg #1 - Celestial Drift
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Bootleg #1 - Celestial Drift

Releases have been more or less on hold while I’m wrapping up the Sad Disco project, which is hi-fi, clinical, and pretty labor intensive… As a palette cleanser, I’ve been experimenting with a more analogue style of recording, with performances running from start to finish on a song, and flaws left in. I was inspired by…

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Mixtape 41
mixtapes John Moran mixtapes John Moran

Mixtape 41

This playlist features highlights from some of my favorite albums of the past year. I loved Magdalena Bay’s Imaginal Disk, a strange indie pop album that is…

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Mixtape 40
mixtapes John Moran mixtapes John Moran

Mixtape 40

I gave you guys a few harder tracks early on this playlist, so I ended it off real mellow for you, with chilled out vibes from…

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Producing Basic Bliss

Producing Basic Bliss

I started this song with a random chord generator. Essentially, you go to this site and hit the “generate” button until it comes up with something you like. At the time, I was really excited about introducing randomness into my process. I had a deck of flash cards that had keys and chord progressions written on them, and I would pull a key from one stack, and four cards that named chords in the key from another. I built a bunch of

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Mixtape 39
mixtapes John Moran mixtapes John Moran

Mixtape 39

Some truly dreamy songs on this playlist - “Les Fleurs,” by Minnie Ripperton, “Soft Sands” by the Chordettes, and surprisingly, a gorgeous song from…

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Mixtape 38
mixtapes John Moran mixtapes John Moran

Mixtape 38

I miss making you playlists for your disc drive, so I made you this. I know it’s not the same… but it’s the closest I can get. New mixtape monthly up on my spotify. Find me there at…

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Mixtape 37
mixtapes John Moran mixtapes John Moran

Mixtape 37

I love so many songs on this playlist.

This whole Girls album brings up so many nostalgic feelings for me. Jeff Beck’s “Nadia” is an amazing demonstration of a guitarist adapting to new styles of music, with a jungle breakbeat kind of backdrop, and…

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Canvas Rebel x jawnmo
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Canvas Rebel x jawnmo

I had the chance to sit down with Canvas Rebel for an interview about what I’ve been working on and what comes next for my project…

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Mixtape 36
mixtapes John Moran mixtapes John Moran

Mixtape 36

The first four songs on this are perfect to me. Q’s “Today” has an unreal build that I listen to again and again just to hear the drums come in. “Sweep Me Off My Feet” is just so well done. CARRTOONS are an unreal vibe, and…

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