Moonface began in 2010 as a solo project of the already-incredibly-busy Montreal, Canada multi-instrumentalist
Spencer Krug.
Krug was at that point perhaps best known as the pianist, singer, and a primary songwriter for indie bands
Wolf Parade and
Sunset Rubdown, but he has also logged time with
Frog Eyes,
Swan Lake, Fifths of Seven, and more. The incredibly prolific songwriter used
Moonface as an outlet for his dark pop and melodious experiments that didn't fit with any other of his other more collaborative projects. While the
Moonface recordings were often moody and atmospheric, they were also expressive, heartfelt, and subtly witty, with 2013's
Julia with Blue Jeans On and 2016's My Best Human Face (the latter a collaboration with Silnai) capturing
Krug's project at its peak.
The
Moonface project debuted in recorded form with 2010's
Dreamland EP: Marimba & Shit-Drums on the Jagjaguwar label, followed the next year by the full-length
Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped.
Moonface's second album,
Heartbreaking Bravery, was released in 2012, with
Julia with Blue Jeans arriving the following year.
Krug relocated to Finland that year, recording the album with Helsinki band
Siinai, who had toured Europe with
Wolf Parade in 2009.
Krug sang and played keyboards on the album, with
Siinai filling out its moody compositions. He stayed on in Finland until 2014, recording the songs that would appear on the
City Wrecker EP that year, before moving back to Canada.
Krug would team up with the Finnish Krautrockers once again in 2016 for the full-length outing My Best Human Face. In 2018,
Krug released
This One's for the Dancer & This One's for the Dancer's Bouquet, a concept album that was assembled from recordings intended for two separate albums cut over a space of seven years. In press materials for the album,
Krug announced that it would be the last
Moonface album, and that his future solo endeavors would be released under his own name. ~ Fred Thomas & Mark Deming