Star Moles, the intimate indie-folk project from Emily Moales, returns to Earth Libraries on May 13 with ‘Key Change,’ a warm, slightly woozy acoustic track that drifts through tangled emotions and half-faded memories.

Co-produced with longtime collaborator Kevin Basko (Rubber Band Gun) and recorded over the summers of 2022 and 2023 in his New Jersey childhood home, the song leans into its lofi roots. Acoustic guitar and vocals were tracked to cassette using a Tascam 234, layered with Moales’ harmonica and the gentle clatter of pots and glasses. It feels handmade and deeply personal, like a demo that never needed polishing.

The lyrics unfold like thoughts mid-spiral: “In place of memories, just buckets of my pain / Filling up like rain / Everyday more of the same.” It’s a far cry from the squeaky-clean pop love songs that celebrate well-adjusted relationships. Instead, Moales leans into the murky and unresolved. As she puts it: “As someone usually occupied with concept and narrative, this is probably my most freeform, stream of consciousness Star Moles song yet, capturing more emotion than thought. I think the liquidness of the track comes through in the recording itself, which we built around a simple and somewhat loose acoustic and vocal cassette demo.”