Sure, LA and New York have their rights to be called music hubs and rightfully so. However, Austin, TX is not a city you want to overlook. Electronic duo Carl Bernicker and Ander Baizan of Moonlight Depot are cold, hard evidence.

The boys are fresh off their debut 2022 single “Fool” which caught the attention of marquee publications and even artists such as EDM powerhouse artist Carnage.. who they eventually would open for down the road. Before that, they completely sold out the Native Hostel Ballroom to a raucous crowd and cemented themselves in the Austin music scene.

Tonight they are gracing their newly found community with a brand new song called “Houseplant”, which brings their live production and instrumental meld together perfectly. “Houseplant” also features up-and-coming vocalist Marley Kanui and his velvety smooth notes. He adds such an important depth to an already solid tune.

When asked for their take on the theme of the single they said “no matter what’s going on, it’s important to enjoy the music when it arrives, even if you’re not quite ready for it.” – a message we can all take part in.

Check out the whole convo with both Ander and Carl below.

How did you two meet and ultimately get started creating music together?

Ander: We were both playing an event in July of last year in Austin. We hit it off and over the next month or so we played some shows and that quickly turned into us developing our own sound and starting original compositions. One day, I think in late October last year, I just blurted out to Carl that we should start our own project, and that’s how Moonlight Depot was born.

I read that you recently had the opportunity to open for EDM powerhouse Carnage. How was that / who is your dream co-show artist? 

Carl: Opening for big acts is always so fun. Live performance is a huge focus of ours and my favorite part of the job, so getting to hijack a crowd bigger than you deserve and burning it down is always a dream. The ultimate version of that dream is probably performing with Ratatat or LCD Soundsystem.

Ander: Definitely ZHU or Kasbo. 

The majority of your music uses electronic music as the ground layer, but then you seamlessly pull from other genres to round the tune out. Is this deliberate or does it sort of just happen organically?

Ander: Electronic music in my mind is beautiful in that it provides the listener with some level of comfort in knowing what’s coming next. As a duo with very different technical backgrounds, when we write we try to focus on experimentation early; auditioning different elements from other genres like rock or jazz. The final product is then solidified organically as we see what fits and what doesn’t.

Talk to us about the experience / string of experiences that led to the creation of the song?

Ander: Something that Carl and I constantly struggle with, as I’m sure most people do, is finding a balance between responsibilities in life (work, relationships, etc.) with what your passion is – all while being present during those experiences. I think the most important message we wanted to convey with this song is that no matter what’s going on, when the music arrives – enjoy it. 

How was working with Kanui? How did that collaboration come about?

Carl: Working with Marley (Kanui) was wonderful. He truly has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard, and his mixing competency and attention to detail adds much more to the project as a whole than a simple vocal feature. I’ve been friends with Marley for years and we’ve been jamming / making music socially for a while, so him signing up to join us for Houseplant just happened naturally.

Why the name “Houseplant”?

Carl: Ander and I mostly work out of my home studio, which I have enthusiastically crammed as many plants into as I can fit. While the plot of the song doesn’t really have much to do with houseplants, we still hope it will provide you with a breath of fresh air.

We can confirm that the tune is indeed a breath of fresh air and just what we needed as we dig into Springtime.

Another BIG thanks to Carl & Ander for taking our questions and allowing us to learn more about Moonlight Depot. Check them out if you haven’t… you won’t regret it! “Houseplant” out tonight at midnight!