New York City-based harpist, singer-songwriter, and composer Stephanie Babirak offers a dreamy twist on a nostalgic classic with "Moon River," blending traditional harps with ethereal synths and angelic vocals. Nostalgic and refreshing in equal parts, the cover swerves from the sweetly melodic sensibility to lean into a darker, unsettling vibe led by layers of eerie harps, distorted synths and lush vocals.
Speaking of the track, she says, "Moon River has always been one of my favorite old standards. I used to get asked to play it for weddings and cocktail hours constantly, and it's usually treated as something purely sweet and nostalgic. I was curious what would happen if I leaned into a darker, unsettling vibe for this cover instead, because nostalgia can be both beautiful and sad at the same time. I kept the harp front and center, but layered in mellotron synths and lush background vocals to give it a slightly more distorted and suspended feeling. Peter Scoma plays guitar and sings harmonies on the track, and together we tried to treat it less like a wedding song and more like a ghost."
Haunting and luxuriant all at once, the track offers a peek upcoming album Rotten Fruit, a thoughtful project built on the delicacy of harps and crisp lyricism. Drawing from inherited language and biblical symbolism, the album encapsulates a slow shift from disbelief to acceptance and clarity as it explores themes of goodness, disillusionment, love, estrangement and the perception of "bad."
Known for her ability to intertwine enchanting harp with alluring folk pop musicality, Babirak continues to move elegantly between the classical and contemporary worlds as she shapes familiar perspectives with a sharp, gleaming newness.
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