After encountering heartbreak and grief, Moonwreckers understands the importance of feeling seen and validated.

The Metro Detroit-Ann Arbor quartet of Matt Galbraith (vocals, guitar), Matt Konkle (drums), Paul Stiem (guitar), and Jamus Sumner (bass, vocals) explores that emotional need and its evolution on the album, Why Look Here?.

“It certainly is autobiographical. At the time, I was married, and we were having issues, and we did eventually divorce. A lot of these songs were written around the time when I was in my early 30s, so shit hit the fan between us and we had been together since we were 18 years old,” said Galbraith about the band’s indie-rock-meets-emo debut release.

“I didn’t know what a world looked like without that, so I was very lost, and it was scary to me what life looked like outside of that relationship. There’s some coming-of-age stuff in there, too, but a lot of it has to do with that relationship, the struggles and the attempts of trying to reconcile things, and then failing and rinse and repeat."

Moonwreckers examines that trajectory across 12 personal tracks on Why Look Here?. The album’s honest lyrics, plaintive vocals, and evocative instrumentation prompt listeners to process their emotions and struggles alongside the band.

“There are so many universal themes here. Everyone’s gone through the experience of having a relationship that didn’t pan out to be what they wanted it to be,” Sumner said.

“Everyone’s gone through the frustration or the disappointment of misaligned expectations and incomplete communication and the moment someone passes or walks out of your life. There’s unfinished business and you have to work through that—except you won't get an answer to everything.”

To learn more, I spoke with Moonwreckers about their latest album ahead of a July 26 show at Detroit’s Batch Brewing Company.

Q: How did Matt Galbraith’s return from California inspire the band’s formation?
Matt Galbraith (MG): Before the pandemic, I was living in California. When I came back from California, I met up with Paul right away, and we said, “Let’s get a band together.” And Paul said, “I know this guy [Matt Konkle] that I work with; he plays drums, and we’ve been jamming.” When Paul and I were in high school, I played bass as well. It had been a long time, so I eventually moved over to guitar. We were at another party and Jamus was there, and I said, “Let’s get Jamus; he plays bass.” We added Jamus and we had a couple of different singers. We played mostly cover songs under a different name to whet our whistle and get back into the flow of playing together. But then the pandemic happened and everything was frozen.

Since California, I was starting to write songs, so by that time I had a bunch written. I thought, “Well, we’re at a standstill, so I might as well send these out. If they grab them, cool; if they don’t, cool.” They’re very personal songs, and when I wrote the songs it was more like therapy for me. They were bedroom songs I was writing for myself, and I didn’t intend on playing them for anyone. When I sent them out and got some good feedback … they jumped on them and started writing parts for them and sent them back and forth. I was blown away—these songs took on a whole new different character and vibe, so it snowballed from there.

Paul Stiem (PS): [Matt] Konkle and I had a “Do you play music? Can we just become best friends?” moment at work. I went over and he beat the hell out of the drums, and I got to play guitar as loud as I could. Matt [Galbraith] came over and he had just got back. He came over to my house in Royal Oak at the time, and I had a piano and we were jamming away. He played “Golden Coast,” and I immediately loved it. It was cool to hear [Matt Galbraith] put himself out there because these are personal songs. We’re all go-getters, so as soon as he put something out, we’d say, “Hey, I want to do this. Game on—let’s do this thing.” They’re heartfelt songs, so it was super exciting to be part of fleshing out these demos that he was whispering into his mic and trying not to bother his neighbors with in LA.

Q: How did you arrive at your band name? How does it represent your music and creative vision?
MG: I was in Tennessee for my brother’s wedding, and while I was down there, I saw this tow truck. I was behind it in traffic and the company was called Moonwrecker, so it came from a tow company. Having the name now and booking shows, we keep seeing all these other “Moon” names and say, “Oh my god, there are so many Moon bands—who knew?” For our album release show, there was another band called Moon Date. The domain for [Moonwreckers] wasn’t taken, and it warrants itself to some cool sci-fi things.

Matt Konkle (MK): If we ever hit it big, the tow company’s business is going to go through the roof.

Jamus Sumner (JS): We could license their trucks to get to shows.

Q: How do you each contribute to the band’s stirring indie-rock-meets-emo sound?
JS: We all have a different pedigree of where we came from musically. Paul comes from that ‘80s shred-metal guitar and [Matt] Konkle comes with the drums that are [akin to] prog rock and ‘80s rock. Matt [Galbraith] fills out the Midwest emo sound and then I do whatever I do.

PS: [Jamus], you bring a jazz fusion. We’re all very different. Matt [Galbraith] plays a [Fender Telecaster], and I play a [Gibson] Les Paul. We have a bright, twangy mid-focus thing that fits right together.

MK: Or even pop [for Jamus]. He’s a very qualified musician, and the other guys are as well. I’m constantly in awe by the prog-rock band that Jamus was in. I listened to it, and thought, “Holy mackerel, you’re good!” It was interesting to end up with the riffs that Matt [Galbraith] wrote and have it be foreign. My emo listening stopped at The Cure and probably 1994-ish and from there it hasn’t been a part of my vocabulary. When you’re sitting down and trying to figure out something that fits it, it is challenging in the best way ever. It was neat to hear—as Jamus said—all these different styles to create what we do and to hear those influences from people who shouldn’t even have those influences.

MG: After our show, I’d get comments like, “Ah, that was really cool; you guys sound great! Your bass player is so good and locked in.”

Q: Why Look Here? provides a vulnerable examination of processing a past relationship and the emotional impact that it had on you. It also explores feelings of uncertainty, fear, change, and growth. How was writing this album a cathartic experience for you?
MG: Initially, I was writing these songs without the intention of anyone hearing them. It was a lot of therapy for me to get these things out of my head and that was enough for me to be able to play in my apartment. But then it took on a whole new life when I shared it with these guys, and we started playing them out.

I get a lot of comments from people who say it’s very vulnerable, and I think people can relate to it. We’ve all gone through heartbreak, breakups, and coming-of-age-type things. I think people connect with it because it’s honest, it’s autobiographical, and it’s my situation. Sometimes it’s difficult to play it over and over again, but I try to separate myself from that. It’s been a few years since that situation, and now I’m very happy with my girlfriend and we have a new baby. Life has changed so much, it’s almost hard for me to relate to the person that wrote the lyrics.

We had no motive for this record at all or for writing these songs. I think that authenticity comes across, and at least in my case, that’s what I’m attracted to rather than something that’s neatly polished or fits a formula.

Q: The opener, “Coping,” contemplates moving forward after a series of losses. How did you process that grief and cope with that change?
MG: This was the last song I wrote out of the bunch. Originally, it was called “Coping Death,” which is a play on [Metallica’s] “Creeping Death.” There are a lot of plays on my musical background and things in certain lyrics and titles. It started as a song more about my ex and the situation, and then I had some grandparents die and it turned into more about that. Later on, I was listening to my lyrics and I thought, “This could apply to any situation.” We removed the death part in the title, so it ended up being “Coping.” Even though a lot of it was me coping with the loss of these patriarchs, matriarchs, and pillars of my family, it’s a hybrid of that and the relationship stuff. It’s definitely grief.

Q: “Let Go” addresses the uncertainty of a relationship’s future and whether it’s time to end it. How did writing this track help you find clarity and closure?
MG: This song is the first of the bunch that I wrote. Through this whole relationship and the finality of it, it took years. Where I was at when I wrote this was one thing and there were ebbs and flows—like maybe there’s a shot and we can make this thing work—and I bounced around in that zone for a while. “Let Go” was originally the one I started with and thought, “Maybe this needs to be the end.” It wasn’t, but it ended up ending years later.

Q: “May Grays” and “Golden Coast” feature similar themes about a changing relationship. In “May Grays,” you escape to the West Coast after feeling trapped in life and love. By “Golden Coast,” you’re trying to rekindle that same relationship with your partner. What was it like to reflect on that relationship over these two tracks?
MG: These are autobiographical. I moved to California mostly because I needed a fresh start, and I had invited her to come along with me. I thought we both needed a fresh start, and we could try this thing again, so that’s where “Golden Coast” comes from. They were both written when I was out there, and with “May Grays,” she came out for a very short time and it didn’t work. I felt isolated out there, and the “May Grays” is a thing in California. I had no idea, but it has something to do with the marine layer. It can become gray, hazy, and cloudy for that month—there are “May Grays” and “June Glooms.” I was in this very sunny, utopian, and ideal place … and I was struggling a bit on my own.

Q: “I Need to Hear It” issues an ultimatum to a partner about the future of a relationship and where it’s headed. How did writing this track help you decipher the situation?
MG: In the arc of when I wrote it in my autobiographical timeline, this was before I left for California. I was at my breaking point and saying, “If this is going to work, I need to hear it now,” because we were floundering. It was this gray area, and at the time, I was saying, “I’m leaving unless you tell me otherwise that you want to try this.” Obviously, that didn’t happen, I never heard the answer, and I ended up leaving.

Q: The seven-minute closer, “Wake the Fuck Up,” is a reality check about facing the cold hard truth of the present and learning from your mistakes. How does this track serve as a wake-up call for you? How did writing it help change your perspective on life?
MG: This one is more coming of age and less related to the situation with my ex. It’s a point in your life when you’re in your 30s, you’ve jumped into your career, you’re working this office gig, and you’re having this existential crisis thinking, “What the fuck am I doing?” You look back and think, “Is this really what I wanted? Maybe I’ve made a mistake.” It’s me battling the monotony of office life and thinking about things I still want to accomplish.

When you’re in your young 30s, you still have time and hope. It was me battling the security and what we’re told is the right thing to do with sticking with the career and the 401(k). It’s also the other side of that—doing what you’re passionate about, taking risks, and going off and doing things that thrill you. It’s relatable because people [often] think, “Am I doing the thing I always wanted to do? Is this what I want?” You need reminders to catch yourself every once in a while because things can become very mundane and you can fall into the routine of things.

As for the length of the song, I always wanted my “Goodbye Sky Harbor,” which is a Jimmy Eat World song off of Clarity. Theirs is 16 minutes, and it’s very repetitive, drones on and on, and brings in different things and layers. “Wake the Fuck Up” is a shorter version of that and nod to that. These guys made it what it became.

PS: I like it as a closer because it asks a question at the end—it’s not a period so much as an ellipsis. That’s a cool one to end on.

Q: The album title takes inspiration from a sign your great-grandpa hung in his house. What’s special to you about that sign? How does it connect to the album’s thematic framework?
MG: The origin of Why Look Here?: We would visit my great-grandparents in Cleveland as kids and my great-grandpa had this sign above a door, or like the entry from the dining room to the living room, that said, “Why look here?” He thought it was the funniest thing, so it’s always stuck with me. I had a buddy of mine create a sign that says [the same thing], so I could put that up. The original was just a piece of paper, and it killed me how much my great-grandpa loved that sign. And with this being our first record, it fits perfectly because we’re Moonwreckers, no one knows who the hell we are, and so why look here?

Q: You spent six months recording the 12 tracks for Why Look Here?. How did those tracks come together at Ferndale’s Tempermill Studio?
JS: We went through the demos of the recordings that Matt [Galbraith] had—which were just an acoustic guitar and a microphone—to our first round of demos and then we did a second take on the demos before we went into the studio to record.

Paul picked a date [to go into the studio] and pushed it forward. He’s our business guy, and he was the big driver, so he reached out and made the connections. If we hadn’t had that drive from him, I think we would have sat on this a little longer before we went in and did anything. Paul said, “No, we’re doing this,” and it was really when we could line [everything] up. We had to all look at our schedules and see what was there.

Our last session was in December [2022] and it was about a six-month process. It was an eight-hour day here, and then we’d go two or three weeks, and then we’d have another eight-hour day. It took a while, but even through that process, we had reflection time and would listen to some of these tracks and say, “OK,” as parts changed and evolved over those weeks.

Q: How did engineer Erik Maluchnik help you shape the album’s overall sound?
PS: Erik is a super nice guy, and he was looking around at all these old microphones in this space. He set the drum kit up, and [Matt] Konkle got in there and jammed it. As we laid down the tracks, we had to learn how to do demo tracks with a click.

To me, Erik was an emotionally level person because we were all nervous and we didn’t know what we were doing. He was a good sherpa to the process.

MK: We came in with tracks, and I was going to play along, but Erik said, “We have to play these to a click.” Matt [Galbraith] redid all the scratch tracks, and we got the rhythm laid down and then bit by bit.

MG: He did offer some cool creative effects-type suggestions … and there were times when he had some neat ideas that we did end up using.

Something that's unique about our recording experience that might differ from other bands … is that we did it over six months. We got to hang out with Erik and learn a lot. We just had a good time in there, and we kept wanting to come back. When it was done, I said, “I’m going to write some songs so that we can go back.”

JS: He vibed with us; there were a lot of moments where he’d look at something and say, “Well, what do you guys think?” And there would be other times he’d say, “It would be cool if we had something like this.” He’d throw little nuggets out to us—which was awesome—and he was a lot of fun to work with.

Q: What was it like to collaborate with vocalists Brooklyn Dunn, Pops Galbraith, and Mike Galbraith on Why Look Here?
MG: We had a cast of family and friends that would pop in. The first one to get on the mic was my niece, Brooklyn [Dunn]. I was doing a backup vocal thing, and I couldn’t hear it, but she was singing on the other side of the control room while I was singing. They said, “Oh my god, get her in there,” so she got in there and she’s on the record. My dad Pops [Galbraith] is on the record, and my brother Mike Galbraith is a singer-songwriter, and he’s on the record, too.

Q: What’s up next for you in terms of new material?
MG: I have a lot of ideas and nuggets; I think we probably all do. We want to be a little more collaborative in the writing process on this next one. I’m excited to see where that leads, and I anticipate it’s taking on a little bit of a new life.

Lori Stratton is a library technician, writer for Pulp, and writer and editor of strattonsetlist.com.

Moonwreckers performs July 26 with LVRS, Vaega, and Slowpitch at Batch Brewing Company, 1400 Porter St. in Detroit.