From NYC subway busking phenoms to headlining national touring artist, its been a meteoric rise for Brooklyn’s dynamic Moon Hooch, who returns today with their most adventurous album to date, Red Sky. A forceful and intelligent gumbo of bulbous horns, stomping electronic grooves, and pulverizing funk, the terrific trio has returned to offer an updated flavor palette of their devilish menu in maniacal dance music. 

Like their previous two full lengths and the fantastic EP Eat Your Veggies, the songcraft and vibe of Red Sky mixes the flavors of jazzbo-chops, chunky funk grooves, and a not-so-subtle dose of untz. From baritone sax to contrabass clarinet, horn player Wenzi McGowen is a beast throughout the record, matching energy and personality with his partner in crime, horn player Mike Wilbur. Between this madness lies the metronome, the charging drummer James Muschler. 

Opening with the title track, it’s a full-blast bonanza, bombastic brass and a pulsating, punishing rhythm. Wilbur’s vocals on “Shot” are free-verse frenzy, while the duo blows heavy and Muschler blazes beneath. “Psychotubes” is punk’d up, metal-fueled fury with a bludgeoning beat. The band reaches back for another gear, and leaps into a crush-mode unlike any in their recorded history.

“Low 5″ boasts the sexy R&B feels, without sacrificing an ounce of gusto.”Rough Sex” is what it sounds like; a disco-funk hop with salacious intentions that begs for the dancefloor. “Alien Invasion” is also as advertised, a tweaking, carnival-esque affair that smells of Skerik’s kitchen if he lived in Williamsburg instead of Seattle. The recording took place at The Bunker studio, and Brooklyn’s ethos is eminent throughout the sonic journey. This is a new downtown jazz. 

Despite its somewhat schizophrenic disposition, Red Sky‘s gorilla glue is the brotherly bond-in-bump among the three amigos. It is a focused, united front, where the sum of the parts clearly outshines the prodigious individual talents. By incorporating Ableton software and vintage analog synth into the equation, as well as Wilbur’s steadily elevating lyricism and singing, the possibilities for Moon Hooch on the back of this record are endless. The future is white light and mega-bright for this Big Apple conglomerate of crunk, it’s a joy to watch it glow. 

“I think ‘Red Sky’ is more focused than any of our past albums. We practice meditation and yoga, and I think that we’re more evolved as people than we’ve ever been right now. That evolution expresses itself as focus, and through focus comes our energy,” said Wenzl McGowen. 

Be sure to catch this band on the road this summer, including a stop at Beardfest in Hammonton, NJ. They’ll be appearing alongside Out Of The Beardspace, Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles, Consider the Source, Splintered Sunlight, Stop Making Sense and more! Get more information here. The new album Red Sky comes out today, June 10th, and can be found on the band’s website.

B.Getz