The Moat

The Moat is a six-song song-cycle that explores the inherent contradiction of what a "moat" is: A fortification of self-protection, safety, and security? Or a defensive structure necessitated by a fear of the outside world?

Each of the songs in The Moat excavates this dichotomy with emotional immediacy, linguistic rigor, and a variety of musical landscapes—from the rollicking, upbeat swings and surges in “Works for Me” and “That Too”; to the jazz-inflected, discursive inner-searching of “True” and “Your Fault”; to the icy, electronic balladry in “Night in Day”; to “Proof,” a soaring, treatise on how the self changes—and must always change—over time.

As a whole, The Moat is an exploration of armor and vulnerability, hiding and exposure, insularity and outreach—all with the goal of deepening our knowledge of who we are in the world.

Nathaniel Bellows: Acoustic guitar and vocals
Michael Coleman: Piano, organ, Wurlitzer
Ian Davis: Bass, electric guitar
Kid Millions: Drums
Michael Hammond: Electronics/Sound Design on “Night in Day”
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Michael Hammond
Recorded at Figure 8 Recording, Brooklyn, NY

Single #1: “Works for Me”

Single #2: “That Too”