‘Tiny Desk’ Contest Winners Little Moon Announce New Album ‘Dear Divine’

Little Moon announced a new album, Dear Divine, out on October 25 via Joyful Noise. The Provo, Utah-based, avant-folk band led by singer-songwriter Emma Hardyman also shared the lead single, “now.”

The album that would become Dear Divine initially began as a love letter from Emma to her newlywed husband and bandmate Nathan Hardyman. But as is often the case, life had other plans. Nathan’s mother passed away and he also informed Emma that he was leaving the Mormon Church, a transition she had also undertaken.

“Hardyman recalibrated her vision and started work on a love-as-grief, grief-as-love album titled Dear Divine,” press materials for the record noted. Emma Hardyman co-produced Dear Divine with bandmate Bly Wallentine who also contributed banjo, horns, melodica and more.

“I wanted to play with the imaginative realms of fantasy, as well as imaginative realms of the sacred, like Gregorian choral hymnal music,” Emma Hardyman added on Dear Divine. “But I wanted to reimagine the sacred so it’s not ‘I must be righteous to please God,’ and instead more like, ‘You are who you are and that’s beautiful—not because you’re righteous, but because you’re a sinner and you mess up a lot, and you’re held in reverence for that.’”

Emma also detailed the lead single “now”:

“‘now’ is a deeply personal reflection on my struggle to be present and authentic in a world full of expectations and insecurities,” shares Hardyman, “Developed over many years, this song grew and changed with me, delving into the difficulty of loving and being loved, especially within cultures and institutions that often prioritize trust in them over trust in oneself. Through this journey, I aimed to honor the deep, sometimes shameful parts of our humanity. ‘now’ is a message to myself that in our brokenness and vulnerability, we can find true connection and love.”

Watch the Ty Davis-directed music video for “now” below:

Additionally, check out Little Moon’s Tiny Desk Contest Winner: Tiny Desk Concert featuring guitarists Emma and Nathan Hardyman, Bly Wallentine on bass, Bridget Jackson on harp, Chris Shemwell on drums and Grace Johnson on keyboard.

Little Moon is hitting the road this fall in the Western U.S. Scroll down for their tour routing and ticket info.

Dear Divine Tracklist:

1. we fall in our sleep
2. now
3. wonder eye
4. messy love
5. for you
6. holy and sweet
7. blue
8. kind, kind home
9. give you flowers
10. eighteen parts
11. bashful lovers
12. to be a god