Moodring made waves in 2022 with their acclaimed debut album, Stargazer, which exemplified the nu-gazing sound spearheaded by Deftones and now carried forward by bands like Loathe. But then frontman Hunter Young was plagued by health issues that left him unable to actively tour and that largely sidelined the project. Since then, he’s channeled much of his angst into the deathcore band PSYCHO-FRAME and collabs with Mirrorcell and others, but now he’s back with Moodring’s first proper new single since 2023.
The song, titled “Half-Life,” is also the band’s debut release for SharpTone Records, and it’s a deeply personal piece that draws on Young’s traumatic recent personal experiences. It arrived today (October 8th) along with a striking, black-and-white music video directed by Static Dress‘ Olli Appleford. Watch and listen above.
“‘Half-Life’ was one of the first songs written after I received a life-changing medical diagnosis and was forced to grieve losing the person that I thought I was and had identified as for most of my sentient life,” Young commented. “It was a devastating blow to an already-tarnished nervous system. This song and sub-sequential songs were my way of coping and writing an obituary for the person I lost in that doctor’s office.”
He added: “But when looking at ‘Half-Life’ through a broader lens, I believe anyone who’s ever been forced to face realities or truths they cannot change can relate in ways that weren’t the original intention.”