Style Record: Moonrise Nation

The reign of dude only bands is over, especially with groups like Moonrise Nation on the scene. The Chicago-based three-piece consists of sisters Arden and Eva Baldinger and ride or die Emma McCall. Their sound on the same dreamy wavelength as fellow power girl groups First Aid Kit and Joseph, their debut album, Glamour Child, is set for release this Friday, July 28 via Zinc Records. And with tour dates scheduled through mid-August, the band’s taking the album on the road, alongside their collected style.

“For the most part, I collect clothes that remind me of people and places I’ve been,” Emma told Paste. “I’m comfortable on stage in what I wear because I know that each piece means something to me and I know no one else will have that. Like a style fingerprint.”

And it’s the combination of their individual styles that makes Moonrise Nation’s vibe oh so cool. We caught up with Emma, Eva and Arden to talk sentimental duds, Chicago thrifting and meshing styles on stage. Read on below.

Paste: Tell us a little bit about your style and how it influences you and your performance on stage.

Arden: I find so much joy in piecing outfits together. Performing can be super fun because it’s an excuse to put together something a bit more extravagant or different from what I wear on a day-to-day basis. I’d like to think that I am still defining my style (and will continue to do so as I age); it’s ever-evolving in a way. I look to my mom a lot as an example of this. There are a few things that have stayed consistent through the years, such as her love for Doc Martens and all shoes in general. While her style has always been wacky and fun, it’s differentiated among the decades. I love that because it showed me how your style can reflect your state and experience in life… always ever-changing.
Eva: My style tends to vary a decent amount based on my environment BUT consistent aspects of it are: comfort, classic/timeless pieces and articles of clothing with a story. I love to thrift shop. I am a huge fan of shoes, but primarily boots and sneakers. As Arden mentioned, our mother is a huge influence on both of our styles. Half of what I wear was hers at some point. I love graphic tee’s, jeans, etc. but I’m also into more bohemian items as well. As of late, I have begun to separate my performance self from everyday self. I now go looking for items that stand out, ones I may be apprehensive about wearing on the street, but know I can rock on stage.
Emma: My style is fairly laid back. I like thrifting for odd pieces to work around that throw my style slightly off center from simple, but for the most part, I collect clothes that remind me of people and places I’ve been. Clothing is very sentimental for me… most of my pieces are collected from friends, parents and my sister… or at least I consult their style when choosing items. For example, I have had this oversized blue button up shirt for years and it is perfectly tattered and covered in paint. It was my father’s “paint shirt” and there are splotches of color on there that were the color of the walls in my childhood home. I wear it everywhere like a badge of honor. As I reflect on it now, try to utilize sentimentality in performance as well as in my everyday. I’m comfortable on stage in what I wear because I know that each piece means something to me and I know no one else will have that. Like a style fingerprint.

Paste: What do you think makes up an ideal stage outfit?

Emma: I think looking comfortable on stage is essential. It has to fit the music. Our album is very personal and honest and I think our look represents that. We try to stick to the venue and our personalities. Emma wears a lot of dad hats…
Arden: To me, the perfect stage outfit is something that isn’t entirely out of the ordinary from what you wear normally, but still represents the difference between your ‘onstage’ persona and your ‘everyday-life’ persona. In order to achieve this, I like to add pieces (such as jewelery or more unique shoes) to a simple outfit. I have to admit that most of my closet is black, grey, maroon, or white… so it’s nice to add some color here and there.
Eva: Anything that gives the viewer a real feel for who the artist is. That will vary depending on each person. But I do think you can never go wrong with all black.

Paste: How would you say your on-stage style differs from your off-stage style?

Emma: For me, I try to match my bandmates as much as possible, while keeping my expression in tact. Picking out outfits for stage can grow very tiring very fast, especially when you’re on tour and trying to stay on a budget. We have been trying to get more creative with it, for example we were thinking that we might start picking themes for each show and want to play a show in which the unifying theme is color blocking, but we get to represent that with cuts and styles that are respective to our individual expression.
Arden: I usually wear primarily black on stage because it’s an easy way to look dressier, plus it’s just flattering. As I said before, I usually like to piece in some more colorful items but that usually depends on what Eva and Emma are wearing.
Eva: I am more willing to be adventurous and wear something like snakeskin pants. As Emma said, coordinating with the other members ultimately evokes a style that is slightly different than my everyday, but nothing too drastic.

Paste: What’s your go to summer outfit?