A Song for 3 AM: Here's Moving Units' "Wishful Thinking"

The Moving Units of 2016 is a different beast to the one that was formed in LA in 2001. Although Blake Miller actually left the band in 2012, he reached an agreement with his ex-bandmates in order to continue using the dance-punk’s name and extend their legacy. Which is precisely what “Wishful Thinking” does. The band’s previous output was underpinned by a certain nihilistic darkness, and while that’s present on this song, there’s also an airiness and lightness to the music and the melody that lulls you into a false sense of security. Taken from the band’s forthcoming album, Damage With Care—their first in three years—this song is as infectious and chirpy as it's dancey and dangerous, a rush of exuberant introspection that’s got one foot in the past and one foot in the future.

“I was revisiting my fascination with 60s-era Los Angeles culture and the surfy guitar riff for this song just floated into my head,” explains Miller. "The vibe stems from nostalgia for the freedom and innocence of being young and wild. But I decided to subvert that vanilla feeling by channeling a darker sound by utilizing Cold Wave-era synths and industrial hand claps. The vocal attitude is sassy and defiant, but I decided to use a surrealistic approach to offset its playful appeal.”

Thematically, it’s a song for those 3 AM nights at home alone when, for whatever reason—be it reckless hedonism or anxious contemplation – you’re wide awake while the rest of the world sleeps.

“I guess I'm more interested in the cerebral journeys that result from spending the night awake in an altered state than I am sleeping normal hours,” says Miller. “But I often find myself overwhelmed by anxiety and a feeling of isolation which is the inspiration behind the chorus line: ‘I wanna be alone inside.’ I'm not complaining—I'm just riffing on the conundrums my impetuous lifestyle seems to cultivate: ‘I swear it's fine / It happens all the time.’”

Moving Units Tour Dates:

May 26th San Diego CA: Casbah May 27th Los Angeles CA: Teragram Ballroom

May 28th San Francisco CA: Brick and Mortar

June 2nd Phoenix AZ: Valley Bar

June 3rd El Paso TX: Warszawa

June 4th Austin TX: Sidewinder

June 5th Houston TX: Free Press Summer Festival

June 7th Springfield MO: Outland Ballroom

June 8th Kansas City MO: Riot Room

June 10th Minneapolis MN: 7th Street Entry

June 11th Chicago: Remix Chicago

June 12th Columbus OH: Double Happiness

June 13th Buffalo NY: Mohawk

June 14th Toronto CA: NXNE at Silver Dollar

June 15th Montreal CA: La Divan Orange

June 17th New York City NY: Berlin

June 18th New York City NY: Berlin

June 19th Philadelphia PA: Johnny Brendas

June 20th Richmond VA: Strange Matter