American Moon

With American Moon, Jacob Rubeck and Forest Holter have created a sound all their own while writing and producing their debut EP, Swim Above Ground, on two different coasts. Formerly known as Casino Hearts, the band has taken their signature combination of indie rock and pop sensibilities even further with a new sonic direction. 

After Rubeck moved to New York in 2024, he and Los Angeles based Holter began a new musical chapter sending demos and lyrics through texts and honing in on production over Zoom chats. Both band members say their love of solitude was an essential part of their creative process enabling them to telephone songs back and forth until songs took on their final form.  They also traded their favorite music and films, sparking ideas for their own songs with influences ranging from Pinback to Kelela to Roberto Rossellini’s 1950 film The Flowers of St. Francis.  

On collaborating for the EP and inspiration, Rubeck adds: “Sparklehorse is always going to be a big influence. We also both fell in love with the band Ovlov after playing a show with them. It made me unafraid to send Forest more rock leaning demos and she created such magical moments. She knows how to challenge herself in the unfamiliar and it’s wonderful.”

Across the six tracks on Swim Above Ground, American Moon have captured a sound that feels both nostalgic and innovative. From the shoegaze tinged EP title track to the sparkling simplicity of ‘You Can’t Keep Promising’ which, as Holter explains, was “made when I revived an ancient old loop of Jacob playing guitar on a pedal he had lent me. His guitars sounded suffused with a bittersweet secret that I wanted to hear over and over again.” The EP is a sonic tapestry of dream pop, melodic guitars and introspective songwriting anchored by the gauzy vocals of both band members. 

Swim Above Ground’s first single ‘Have I Said Too Much’ pairs scuzzy guitars and lush production all held together by Holter’s ethereal voice, the track is the perfect example for the band’s dynamic sound. Of ‘Have I Said Too Much’ Rubeck shares: "When I started writing the song it felt like a dumb 90s slacker rock anthem, but when Forest put down the vocals she turned it into a pop masterpiece. It gives me the same feeling of hearing a Breeders song” with Holter adding “it’s a messy pop song through and through.”