“Bury addicts of power/

It’s no surprise to me/

They find the air/ 

To puff their chest/

In the time of I can’t breathe”

Mike Green opens his sophomore album Hang The Moon, Pt. 1 with the juxtaposed sound and lyric that defines the work itself. Green challenges the notions of conformity and social incohesion with compelling lyrical sentiments accompanied by his signature rock sound.

“To uplift is a gift…to enrage is to engage,” Green says of the all-too familiar social media “Doomscroll.” Hang The Moon, Pt. 1 aims to alleviate the tension present in its listeners shoulders, all whilst holding up a mirror to our own misplaced anger or acceptance of conformity. “I’m in the philosophy of flow…writing helps, playing guitar is always a sense of therapy…it was always an outlet for me.”

Mike Green began performing at just eight years old. Gaining traction as a solo musician in his teen years, Green opened for Blue Oyster Cult, Edwin McCain, Tim Reynolds, The Disco Biscuits, Dispatch and many more. Green cites his vast performance and life experience as not only fuel for his songwriting, but part of what makes him so adaptable as a collaborator. Mike’s worldly endeavors evoked the initial inspiration for Hang The Moon; Green states the conceptual conversation of the album didn’t arrive to him until he was greeted by a global shutdown after returning home in 2020.

Hang The Moon’s opening track “Dig” serves as the haunting wakeup call that sets the album into motion. A chill gets sent up your spine, and Green offers no time to recover. Whispers are an antithesis of the wall of sound created by an infectious riff carving up the song’s throughline. Green writes of dark, hateful thoughts infecting every aspect of one’s life, so much so they’re forced to bury the evidence:

“I’m shoveling the earth until/

I have a grave to fill/

I’ll dig/

Dig deep/

To bury them all together.”

The second track “Bug” was released as the album’s single, and it’s easy to understand why upon listening. The song is an alt-rock ear worm, and complements an addictive rock instrumental with captivating lyrical motifs. “Bug” encapsulates the emotional gravitas of the album, while catapulting the record’s swift transition to Green’s individualized approach to the rock sound. “Bug” sticks in the listener’s head and doesn’t ease off, which speaks not only to Green’s success as a songwriter, but as an artist with a crucial message to dispatch. “Bug” is evidentiary support of  Hang The Moon achieving its intent: enjoyable music driven by an emotionally and politically significant narrative. On “Bug,” Green says, “I think it’s good to show vulnerability and humility, and say you don’t know and try to figure something out.”

“A bug in the code governs the typical/

Why else is chaos cyclical”

Mike Green spoke with me about the allegorical aspects of the album, particularly embedded in the third track, “Coyote.” Green says, “A coyote smuggling two victims..they feel this inability to escape his wrath even though at this point they’d rather be locked up and caged if it meant they’d be out of harm’s way…with this record I want to provide someone relief in expressing a story that hasn’t been told…[a concept]not just discussed about but sung about in a palatable pop way, that can push the envelope forward in music being the great agitator.” 

“Coyote” approaches on uncharted territory in comparison to the earlier tracks. The song is grounded in a funk rhythm and abundance in percussion. Record scratches and techno motifs are infused with classic horns. A big brassy bridge disrupts the pattern but doesn’t sacrifice Green’s seamless concoction of sound. 

Speaking on the fluidity and vast emotional range of the record, Green says, “I have some love songs on there too…I approach things feeling-first, always..the music and theory is something to clean up the mess [with].”

“Afterglow” greets the listener with a distant, spatial intro, featuring an almost ominous string swell. The song captures a speaker in a desperate plea of a loved one doing the piteous thing of letting them go. A relatable sentiment prominent in so many songs today; wanting a piece of someone rather than nothing at all, and feeling so deeply intertwined that letting go seems impossible, even when we know it’s the right thing. “Afterglow” describes a tortuous love affair that becomes one-sided to such an extent the subject appears as a ghost of themselves. 

“Let me go easily/

Your love was my ecstasy/

Before I give up your ghost/

I’ll revel in your afterglow.”

“Can’t Help It” follows “Afterglow” by describing an entirely different facet of love. Both songs occupy the spectrum of being unable to let go, but the speaker of “Can’t Help It” doesn’t want to escape their entanglement. Sultry guitar riffs drive the song forward, along with a longing, intimate lyric that feels like a secret of Green’s being shared. “Can’t Help It” romanticizes an intense addiction and infatuation, accompanied by a ridiculously catchy instrumental you “Can’t Help” but jam out to. “This album will shake some booties and minds,” Green jokes.

“Best I Can” redirects the record to its earlier motifs of cracks forming in one’s life or their understanding of society around them. The song encapsulates the feeling of treading water; when we know we’re slipping beneath the surface but are doing everything to keep our heads up. Hard, electric guitar riffs break up moments of techno in the song’s threshold. 

“I’ve been slippin’/

I’ve been trippin’/

I’ve been livin’/

The best I can”

“Sun Goes Down” is a return to form in terms of Green’s signature rock stylings. The upbeat track showcases powerful percussion, euphoric moments of guitar, and a punchy hook you can’t get enough of. The song serves well for dancing at the function or head banging  in the car right after. “Sun Goes Down” is a secret weapon that excites the listener for the album’s nearing conclusion.

“If you got the time, I’ll buy the rounds/

See you when the sun goes down/

Get so high we’ll never touch the ground/

I’ll see you when the sun goes down”

Hang The Moon concludes with the final track, “Get Away.” “Get Away” creates an intense landscape that addresses a fractured understanding of one’s mind and reality outside of it. The speaker grapples with maintaining their individuality and not succumbing to the chaos around them. At the end of “Get Away,” the instrumental fades but plays on, signifying that the album(and the conversation it’s having with the listener)is never really over. 

“Thinks he can/

Claim my soul/

If I jump he jumps/

And we both die alike/

He’s the devil/

In my mind”

Mike Green utilizes his musical genius to provide a safe haven of understanding and validity for all music lovers alike. Hang The Moon is a rich listening experience featuring classic rock-inspired sounds paired with a complex and crucial lyric; Green is bold enough to put every unspoken uncertainty for the future of our society into words. 

Hang The Moon, Pt. 1 is available everywhere you listen to music.

Be sure to stay up to date with Mike Green:

mikegreenmusic.com

IG: @ilikemikegreen

My podcast interview with Mike Green: https://impact89fm.org/129879/podcasts/entertainment-podcasts/interviews/making-sense-of-the-madness-interview-with-mike-green/

Info on Mike Green and Whitney Tai’s record store tour up the coast can be found below:

Mike Green and Whitney Tai: The Record Store Tour