Clara Pople is back with “Hot Moon,” a hypnotic exploration of chaos, empowerment, and the irresistible allure of nature. After the success of her enigmatic singles “Wednesday” and “Poison,” Pople continues to carve out a niche for herself as an otherworldly power in the alt-pop universe. Her live-looped vocals swirl into trip-hop textures thrown over a bed of soulful electro-pop.
Drawing on an uncommon time signature and a stripped-back and immersive production in equal measure, “Hot Moon” reflects the jittery energy of a full moon that is intense, beautiful, and random. Pople’s trademark stacked vocals float like lunar tides, pulling you into a space where succumbing to life’s rhythm is the only option. “Hot Moon” pulses with a low-key urgency, a sign of her hard-won ability to meld raw emotion with complicated musicianship.
“Hot Moon” is an empowerment anthem that celebrates the cyclical nature of womanhood and the inevitable forces that shape us. Pople dig in, writing a song that cheers the madness while honoring resiliency. Her intimate and universal lyricism soothes those who have ever felt at the mercy of forces larger than themselves.
With “Hot Moon,” Clara Pople reasserts that she is a storyteller, a sonic alchemist, and, indeed, a force of nature herself.