Laura Loriga – Moon Talk EP

Laura Loriga is an Italian-born London based songwriter/composer with whose latest EP Moon Talk serves as a preview for her new album Almas, which will be coming out in the Spring of 2026. Laura’s prior releases come under the Mimes of Wine moniker and include 2009’s Apocalypse Sets In, 2012’s Memories for the Unseen, 2016’s La Maison Verte EP as well as the La Maison Verte full-length. Under her own name she’s put out the 2020 standalone single ‘The Big Quiet’ and2022’s debut solo record Vever.

The EP is a transatlantic affair recorded between London and New York and features a cast of musicians that include Ofir Ganon - Guitar, Andrea Giommi – Synth (you may recognize Andrea’s name from my coverage of Sons of Viljems’ Lithospheric Melodies), Euan Hinshelwood - Bass, Stefano Michelotti - Chalumeau and David John Morris on Guitar. This release features 2 tracks from the aforementioned Almas as well as one outtake.

‘Atlas’, which commences Moon Talk, thematically draws inspiration from Nabokov’s short story Christmas, a meditation on memory and transformation. The tags on the EP’s page include ‘ambience’, ‘minimalism’ and ‘folk’ and its interesting that folk is mentioned as usually I’d run a mile from it as I usually find it about as enticing as being stuck in a lift with Owen Jones and Ash Sarkarfor several millennia. However while there are elements of that genre present here its given a far more interesting presentation. The wash of Synths and subtle Guitar work gives it a far warmer, intriguing edge which if like me you are still lamenting the loss of the late, great Trish Keenan and Broadcast then this will fill that gap nicely. A lovely track.

‘Saint Sylvester’ is reported in the promotional notes as being a wish to someone poised to begin an unexpected new life. Musically it recalls the likes of the Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine, such are the waves of dreamy loveliness that wash over you throughout the track’s duration. I would say that fans of Shoegaze but more significantly Dream-Pop will find a huge amount of appeal to their musical sensibilities here. Vocally there are slight nods to Nico making the track the logical follow-up to Desertshore and/or The Marble Index, an outstanding piece and a personal favourite. Finally we have ‘May You’, which reflects on roots, belonging, and the choices that shape where we go next. There is more of a Drone vibe going on here, though let’s not blow this completely out of proportion, we’re not talking about the brute heaviness of Sunn O))) or early Earth here. Instead I’d place it alongside the likes of Anna Von Hausswolff what with the use of church style instrumentation. There’s also some divine Guitar picking, the first time on the EP when they have been able to properly assert their identity as opposed to simply forming part of the musical backdrop. But again, its tastefully interjected and managed in such a way that it never threatens to overwhelm or dominate. Needless to say there would be no place here for a Yngwie Malmsteen and for that we should be eternally grateful, resulting in a suitably lowkey and respectful conclusion to Moon Talk.

As mentioned in the introduction to the review this is merely a taster for what’s to come on next year’s follow-up full-length LP. Despite being a mere three tracks, it still manages to pack in a wealth of musical richness, with some truly emotive Vocalisation from Laura herself. The perfect accompaniment not just for Autumn but any season, stunning.