Moons Poet – “Underground Potato”
Carly O’Dwyer creates indie music in the spare room of her home in Geelong, Australia, under the solo project name Moons Poet. Her original six track album, “Underground Potato”, is a great example of complete creative freedom, prioritizing a natural, homemade sound over standard commercial studio polish.
The title “Underground Potato” is a clever nod to her reality as an underground artist and her love for gardening in her spare time. She connects the two ideas perfectly, noting that just like digging through the soil to unearth potatoes, listeners must dig deep past the mainstream to discover music they truly love. It’s safe to say it’s one of the best albums I’ve discovered this week.
The album opens with “Firehorse”, which runs for 03:27 and serves as a major highlight. Inspired by the Year of the Firehorse, the track uses the concept as a symbol of courage and rebirth, capturing a sense of personal movement, spiritual awakening, and the strength to look toward the light after walking through darkness. Carly intentionally leaves plenty of space in her writing, which allows individual listeners to bring their own experiences and memories to the music.
The rest of the tracklist builds beautifully on this honest foundation. “Ghost at the gate” is a longer piece at 04:30, followed by the shorter “Magical heart” at 03:08. “Floating” stretches out to a massive 06:29, giving the album room to breathe, while “State of the world” takes 04:22 to expand on its ideas. The whole project wraps up with “In the end” at 02:48. Influenced by iconic names like Mazzy Star, PJ Harvey, and Joni Mitchell, the album feels incredibly cohesive.
I completely love this release because its homemade quality feels honest and meaningful. I highly recommend that readers check out her previous releases too. You should absolutely follow Moons Poet to stay updated about new releases in the rest of this year, as she is a truly original DIY artist who deserves your attention.
