Burlington, Vermont’s Noah Kesey has a knack for songs that sneak up on you, and his new single “Moth” is no exception. Out now, the track arrived the way the best ones do — fully formed, uninvited, and impossible to shake once it’s in your head.

On the surface, “Moth” is driving, hooky, and unmistakably pop-rock. Sit with it a little longer, though, and the melancholy tucked under those sinuous melodies starts to bloom. It’s a stream-of-consciousness snapshot of a situationship in all its ambiguous glory, cycling through catharsis, arrogance, and unexpected tenderness in the span of just a few minutes. The line between character, narrator, and listener gets deliberately fuzzy — which is, of course, the whole point.

“This song blew in through the window during a moment of frustration, fully formed and rejuvenating, without deliberation or contemplation,” Kesey explains. “In that classic stream-of-consciousness way, these lyrics are sourced from thoughts based in specific moments, but the narrative is fantasy. These are unfettered suppositions, cathartic, honest, and subject to interpretation — lyrical vignettes that say something about the dance between two people who inhabit that grey ‘situationship’ zone. Musically, adoration for the pop-rock structure is my guiding light here.”

The official music video, premiering today, was captured during a cold Vermont winter and features footage from the road and inside a gun shop. It’s a pointed nod to the song’s refrain — “You hold me like a gun” — with Kesey handling a weapon that feels as fragile as entering into a relationship without intention. Beguiling, unpredictable, and quietly devastating: classic Kesey.

Watch the “Moth” music video here: https://www.youtube.com/@noahkesey

If the name rings a bell, it should. Kesey has been a key creative collaborator in the Burlington scene for years, co-writing, recording, and playing on Greg Freeman’s cult-favorite I Looked Out and Lily Seabird’s Byside Myself. His 2024 EP Holding Hands Around the World, released via Philadelphia indie label Julia’s War, landed on Stereogum’s Best Shoegaze Songs of 2024 and earned a glowing write-up from Seven Days Vermont, which called it “a glorious collection of music.” He and his band have shared stages with Wishy, TAGABOW, Her New Knife, and Good Flying Birds, hit SXSW 2025 alongside Bleary Eyed, and turned in a memorable set at the beloved Otis Mountain Get Down.

This weekend, Kesey and company hit the road for an East Coast tour with stops in Philly, Nashville, Atlanta, Brooklyn, and more. Catch them at one of the dates below — and don’t sleep on “Moth.”

NOAH KESEY LIVE

June 5 — Hadley, MA @ A-Farm
June 6 — Philadelphia, PA @ Mini-Mart
June 7 — Indianapolis, IN @ Atomic Bowl
June 9 — Nashville, TN @ Drkmttr
June 10 — Atlanta, GA @ Rocky Mountain Pizza
June 11 — Asheville, NC @ TBA
June 12 — Richmond, VA @ DM for address
June 13 — Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville
June 14 — Troy, NY @ Tummy Tub Records

Follow Noah Kesey on Instagram at @noahkesey for tour updates and more.