On March 2, Moby is releasing Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt, billed as his first proper studio album since 2013’s Innocents. The record is being billed as his return to the sounds that have helped make him a household name: trip-hop, soul, electronics and even some gospel, which is obvious on the desolate, apocalyptic single “Mere Anarchy.”
The greyscale song starts off sparse, with an undulating synth melody fluttered with backmasked effects, but soon piles on pulsating sounds: droning keyboards; corkscrew beats that often resemble marbles skittering across the floor; and thunderous synth strings with a portentous edge. As “Mere Anarchy” swells and crescendos, Moby chimes in with hushed vocals. On the verses, he sticks to a spoken word-like delivery; on the choruses, he sings in a hushed, gospel-tinted croon.
Yet darkness isn’t something abstract on “Mere Anarchy,” but something visceral that leads to powerful imagery. Throughout the song, Moby’s voice is foggy and worried by the fragile state of the world, in particular, the emotional and spatial emptiness he’s experienced. “Watch the sunlight, watch it go,” he sings. “Watch the storm rise, watch the storm fall.”
There are no local dates from Moby on the horizon, but you can follow him on Twitter here and watch the video for “Mere Anarchy” below.
