Kailan McGee’s Lady of the Moon drifts in like a silver-lit fable. An immersive song-cycle that follows the eight phases of the moon as they wax and wane over Germany’s Black Forest. Within this shadow-dappled realm, McGee conjures a living mythos. Threading together whispered lore, wandering figures, and moon-touched landscapes, each piece illuminated by a distinctly feminine spirit that ebbs and flows with the tide.
The sound emanates a timeworn glow, as though unearthed from a forgotten trove of forest hymns and laments. Drawing from the gentle spell craft of ’70s and ’80s folk with a mix of both soft and prog rock, humming with familiarity while never losing its sense of enchantment. Echoes of past influences ripple through the arrangements, yet McGee’s voice, both in song and in vision, anchors the work in something intimate and immediate. Producer Kevin Comeau shapes this world with a careful hand, balancing polish with earthiness to allow each tale to fully unfurl.
I had the chance to sit with Kailan beneath this lunar glow and trace the constellations of her creative process.
Lizz – The album is rooted in a fantasy, what inspired this fictional world?
Kailan – What sparked the inspiration for this record was actually that of a child’s imagination. The first single from the Lady of the Moon LP is titled The Legend of the Wild Moon. A child in one of my previous classes had asked me, “Have you ever heard of The Legend of the Wild Moon?” To which I promptly replied, “No I have not, but tell me everything…”
From there The Legend of the Wild Moon was born. After the birth of that track, I found myself longing to write more of the same style spooky-type songs. So, I decided to start reading old German folk tales. Then the idea hit. I decided to choose a spooky destination in hopes of challenging myself and my writing process to a new imaginative writing adventure. I knew in that moment that I wanted to create an atmospheric concept record where I created all of the characters and lore myself. As I began to create, this really beautiful wave of material came out of me. I started with mind maps, that turned into over 70 pages (front and back!) of character development, which then turned into: poetry, chords, and melody.
Lizz – Was there a particular song on the album that came together unexpectedly or changed direction during production?
Kailan – For this question I’m going to speak to that last track, Clairvoyance (represented not numerically, but by the waxing crescent moon phase). This track was something that came along so quickly. The lyrics for the song came to me faster than I could write, which was a pretty cool parallel for a song titled Clairvoyance. The guitar lines in this track (which practically revolve around an Em scale) were lines I had played with a long, long time ago that never really left my mind. And so, with the story line I’d written for the track already being a complete thought, I really just needed to incorporate the melody. When this song came together, I knew it was going to be atmospheric and likely the album closer. However, when my guitarist, Darrell Wallace, added his flare over this song, it exceeded any expectation I had ever had about where this song would take the listener. After seeing his work on this song, it became a favourite instantly. It’s the shortest song on the record (by far!) and, in fact, a lot of the length is wind sounds. A quick in and out tune that still manages to convey a story in an emotive way, was another goal I had for myself as an artist.
Lizz – Can you tell me more about the creative process with the band that helped make the record?
Kailan – Working on this record with other skilled musicians was a huge shift in confidence for my writing abilities. For example, I would show the band my studio demos that I put together with my husband and producer, and say. “Ok, so, this song is about a siren, I’m thinking Pink Floyd…” and before I could finish the thought, they’d be like, “Say less” and put together wailing guitar and enchanting drums that shimmer their ways through the tracks and build an unbelievable, thoughtful and atmospheric experience. The result was stunning. Building your writing skills as a solo artist is absolutely the foundation. From there, you can only go up, and the way to do that is by adding other brains to the works. Diversity of thought plays such a huge role in the final product and I’m so proud of us for the way the chemistry in musicianship shone through in this entire record. I also had my brother play drums on the track Hellfire Tonight (which is represented not numerically, but instead by the waxing gibbous moon phase.) So that experience was very special for me.
Lizz – Were there any specific artists, genres, or even films/books that influenced the sound or mood?
Kailan – I love this question! Yes, yes, yes!
My main influences span over many genres and time, and they always play a role in my writing. I’m firm believer that we need to make the music we want to see in the world, and so this record is quite literally a mash-up inspired by many of my favourite things.
Some of my main influences include: Iron Maiden, Rush, Joni Mitchell, Lady Gaga, The Pogues, and Kate Bush. This album is also heavily influenced by the 70’s lineup of Fleetwood Mac, even moving into Stevie Nicks’s first solo record Bella Donna.
As far as films/books go, the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman is a huge inspiration to this album as well- this includes the film.
The album is set in the Black Forest of Southwestern Germany, a region that was plagued by Witch Hunters for centuries. So all of the witchy characters and vibes on the album are inspired by the history in that as well.
Lizz – What do you hope listeners feel or take away after hearing the full album?
Kailan – In the days of Spotify playlists on shuffle, albums and all of the thoughtfulness that goes into track sequencing by the artist, is often not absorbed as the artist intends. However, this is the beauty of the human experience. We all experience music in a different way, totally unique to us, as art is subjective. I will say though; while creating this record, my main hope was merely to provide a cinematic escape for the listeners to transport themselves to a dark, feminine, and mystical realm only lit by moonlight.
Lizz – Of all the creatures featured on the record, which one do you relate to or see yourself as, and why?
Kailan – Great question! I feel like the character Bellflower on the track titled Bellflower (represented not numerically, but the third quarter moon phase) is the story of so many women, myself included. This story-telling song is 6:43 and doesn’t even include a chorus.
This is a song about a woman who falls in love with the wrong man, and is forced to navigate life through the shattered eyes of unfathomable heartbreak. While her story is rooted in mythology, there is such a real angle her character brings to the record. Bellflower, grief-stricken, gives up her baby to the witches of the Black Forest to maintain her youth and to gain powers and immortality. She grows in her powers and immortality and finds herself bored of the shallowness that eternal beauty has brought to her life. So she casts a spell on herself to age herself to stop men from pursuing her. Once her body ages to that of an old woman, she realizes that aging herself didn’t stop her wish of immortality. She’s forced to live the rest of eternity as an old woman in an ill lit cabin in the haunted woods of the Black Forest.
Every woman you or I know has easily been afflicted by the unwavering throes of blinding heartache. Every woman you or I know has a story of how she’s had to stand tall and resilient as the weight of the world collapses on her as her heart is ripped wide open. And so, Bellflower is a story for all of us.
Lizz – Do you see yourself continuing in this fantasy-inspired direction, or exploring something new next?
Kailan – I’m certainly staying in the mythology and concept record lane, as of now. In fact, my next record is already written in full, but not yet in production. This record is all about the misunderstood characters in Greek mythology.
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What lingers in Lady of the Moon is the dedication to its own enchantment. Each song is distinct in its telling, yet bound to a greater, ever-turning tale. Feeling less like a collection of tracks and more like a living storybook. It stands both a tender homage to the sounds that shaped it, while carefully spinning spells of its own. Revealing McGee as a storyteller of rare intuition, one who builds worlds not just to be heard, but wandered.
Thank you so much to Kailan for speaking with me. I urge you to give Lady of the Moon a listen to add more magic into your life!
Instagram – @kailanmcgee