IT’S been a long time coming – and it’s already brought listeners to tears – but Moonlight Zoo’s new single is here.

The Dunfermline band, made up of Sean Defrancesco, Jamie Adamson, John Muir Jr and Richard Sharp, launched ‘If Only’ recently in their first release of original music since before the pandemic.

And it’s certainly emblematic of the time period, with Jamie, who sings lead vocals on the song, explaining the unconventional way it came to be.

“The band had a lot of momentum before COVID, we went to New York and won money which was meant to let us record our dream debut album, but that was all knocked on its head,” he told Press:ON.

“It forced us to write in an unorthodox way, we worked to our strengths and sent each other different parts of songs.

“I had the opportunity to write music every day for a year non-stop so have written well over 200 songs.

“The best 10 or 11 will make it on to an album, we try to work to that formula, about 50 of those will be good, then 10 to 15 will be exceptional.”

The song itself – described as the “biggest departure” from the band’s old sound to date – is set to pave the way for an upcoming debut album, though that announcement isn’t expected to take place any time soon.

“It’s not a million miles away (from older Moonlight Zoo music) but it’s a different angle and a different mood,” Jamie continued.

“There are a lot of orchestral instruments, a crazy eighties synth, and a massive sax solo at the end, it’s the song which popped the most as an opener, there’s been a lot of anticipation.

“The music industry is all about timing; it’s hard to find the right time for something.

“About half (of an album) is recorded, it really depends on the success of this first single, how well the style does, how well people get behind it.

“It’s an amazing song, you only get one chance at a debut album and we want to get it right.”

Over the past few weeks, the band has been out and about promoting the single, letting workers listen at McDonald’s and handing out headphones on the streets of Edinburgh.

Jamie said the response was encouraging, though insisted that one listener, who was emotional while the song was playing, was crying “positive tears”.

“She wasn’t crying in pain or anything!” he laughed.

“We thought it would be good to do some hands-on promo, ask people to listen to the song, the market research response was great.

“There wasn’t a bad one to share, we were just able to choose the best ones.

“The lyrics are quite moving, there are sad parts, it’s about past trauma and being able to openly talk and share, there are deep roots.

“It could have been a ballad but when the parts came together it got this upbeat vibe, at the end there is a resolution to round the story off.

“It has a real retro sound and we purposely went for that in the studio, using older recording technology to fit what we were aiming for.”

Following the release, Moonlight Zoo have announced a tour including dates across Scotland and in Newcastle, with a hometown gig at PJ Molloy’s on December 3 in their first visit to the venue in a year.

Though they haven’t been away from the city for all that time, having helped kick-off Outwith Festival at Lourenzo’s in September.

“It’s always a great show,” Jamie said, looking forward to their upcoming performance.

“Every year, we kick it up a couple of notches, it will be interesting to see who comes along and how fans will respond to the song.

“It’s quite hard to pull off live, there’s a lot of instruments and electronic drums, it’s unchartered territory for us.”

Things have been quiet for the band since their 2019 EP but their fanbase remains strong, with popular cover tracks posted online during the pandemic even making their way on to their live set lists.

“It’s quite nice for us to hear because some people say our music really helped them get through lockdown and, on a deeper level, help in people’s lives,” Jamie said.

“Even if nothing comes of this band that’s enough.

“On behalf of Moonlight Zoo, thank you for being patient and sticking with us through COVID and for always being there – go listen to If Only!”

Since its release, the track has already been added to the BBC Radio 1 (UK Top 40) UK Charts 2022 playlist on Spotify alongside the likes of Harry Styles, Sam Fender, and Lizzo.

The music video for the song is available to watch on YouTube and you can keep up with the band on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.