You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? Turns out that’s something pop-adjacent post-hardcore outfit Dayseeker have been asking of themselves lately, considering that’s the Joker-fied movie quote that serves as the basis of the band’s new single, “Pale Moonlight.”
The song, which marks the group’s first piece of music to be released this year, was produced by Daniel Braunstein (Spiritbox, Silent Planet) and mixed by Zakk Cervini (blink-182, Lorna Shore), and it initially finds Dayseeker reveling in the nocturnal glow of wavy synth tones and electronics-futzed rhythms. While resplendent with down-tempo sad-boi melodicism, the track eventually quakes through a cobalt-tinted, chug-forward breakdown.
Vocalist Rory Rodriguez, meanwhile, rises from a falsetto towards a more anthemic cry as he outlines shadowy thoughts, self-destructive behavior and unhealthy relationships (“When my depression takes over, you’re the one thing I need.”)
“‘Pale Moonlight’ is about giving into your vices,” he explained. “It’s about the addiction to things that you know are toxic for you — but you simply can’t stop yourself.”
You can check out Dayseeker’s latest track via the music video up above, which was directed by Jensen Noen (Black Veil Brides, Bring Me the Horizon, Falling in Reverse).
Though the band have yet to detail their next album, which will be the follow-up to 2022’s Dark Sun, the group had previously stated that the in-the-works project “puts all of [their] other music to shame.” Dayseeker’s next LP is expected to arrive later in 2025.