Deb Fan embraces expression in all its forms on ‘Gemini Moon’

Recommended Tracks: “Rules”, “Run My Mind”, “Three Nights”
Artists You May Like: memyself&vi, Cassie Marin, Royal & The Serpent

Expression is necessary. To be able to convey how you feel through any means possible – it’s something we shouldn’t try to fight. Break something if you’re angry. Smile if you’re happy. Write a song if you’re sad. Otherwise, you may never get through what you’re experiencing, and people around you will not know how to help. For artist and producer Deb Fan, expression is something she was taught to suppress growing up. But now that she is beginning a new chapter of her life, Deb is embracing the power of expression and releasing it on her debut EP, Gemini Moon.

The tracks on Gemini Moon touch on different phases of heartbreak, each song embodying a specific emotion felt during the ordeal. We start with “Thru & Thru,” a dreamy yet ominous track that represents delusion. The wispy vocals and swells of sound induce a “falling” sensation, as if drifting through time. Yet, the strings add an ominous flair, creating tension against lines like, “How can I feel good when I’m fucked up?” The delusion turns into love and lust on the following “Rules,” where slithering melodies and Deb’s sensual vocals take hold. She claims that she needs this other person in her life, that need being channeled into heavy downbeats and thick synth throughout. When we get to “Pull My Hair,” the production of the previous tracks blends together and makes for a song that is part industrial-sounding, part feathery. Altogether, it has an eclectic, moody feel that is marked by sudden musical changes, which emphasizes the depression that Deb is trying to convey.

The second half of the EP speaks to numbness, anger, and passion. On “Run My Mind,” Deb’s vocals are more straightforward, her graceful tone pulling us in. We then get lost in the layers of sound, almost in the same way Deb is lost in her feelings. With “Three Nights,” Deb is more at the forefront, taking control. She sings, “Don’t you know I lost that fight?” and “Swallowing my pride / Taking back the time,” the sting found in these words superseding the blissful melodies of the track. For the final track, we are brought to an acoustic version of “Rules,” showing the circular direction of the heartbreak cycle. The acoustic vibe really enhances the love and the lust that was contained in the original version, making it a more intense listen. The heavenly backing vocals also play into this, giving us a fresh close to the EP.

A notable element of the EP is the duality of hard and soft. When discussing the project, Deb mentioned that she has accepted both traits and the power they hold at the same time. As far as each song is concerned, Deb mixes hard and soft elements to display this power. On “Thru & Thru,” for instance, Deb’s light vocals clash with the dramatic strings. For “Run My Mind,” she releases such intense thoughts through the lyrics, but the buoyant production keeps it afloat. By blending these elements, she shows that there are different ways to express toughness or weakness, hard or soft. The result is simply stunning.

Overall, Gemini Moon is an intense offering, with each aspect of a track lending itself to analyzation. You can scrutinize the lyrics, the timbre, the beats, the rhythms, and make connections between them. And if you have no idea what to make of a verse or a chorus or a melody, you can just take in the way these aspects make you feel. Maybe they work together to bring a sense of peace, or they cause a type of irritation to arise. The amazing part of the EP is how everything is open to interpretation, open to all kinds of emotions, which is precisely the point.