The Moons of Jupiter’s “Queen of the Night” EP

Music Review by Fred Berger

Last Halloween, the English electronic group The Moons of Jupiter released the single Queen of the Night, a black lament of a man hopelessly broken by a malevolent seductress, a psychic vampire, a succubus if you like. Singer James Harris has the vocal gravitas and emotive powers to conjure this foreboding figure from the reservoir of pain she has immersed him in. The portrait he paints of her is fearsome yet strangely alluring, “She lives in the shadows, hides from the light, Dances with darkness, Queen of the Night.” Accompanied by Nicky Rowe’s ethereal, pulsating keyboards, this somber tale of woe lends itself to the funereal dance style which those of the gothic persuasion are so proficient at.

This photo depicts the front of the record jacket for The Moons of Jupiter’s vinyl EP “Queen of the Night.” It is divided into 4 sepia-tone images each of which features the same woman with long dark hair. The top-left image has the title “Queen of the Night” in white letters and shows her slumped over, apparently bleeding from the neck. The top-right image shows her standing and holding a human skull in her right hand. The bottom-left image shows her crawling and looking like a beast of prey. The bottom-right image has the title “The Moons of Jupiter” in black letters and shows her sitting on steps holding the same skull in her right hand.

Record jacket for Queen of the Night limited edition vinyl EP. (Artwork & photography by Ian Banfield)

The debut of Queen of the Night on that haunted holiday took the form of a downloadable single, with B-side, on Bandcamp.com. It’s sweetly horrific sensibilities even earned it airplay on the Halloween 2025 edition of Release the Bats Radio Show in Long Beach, California. In November, The Moons of Jupiter’s first public performance of the song occurred at Sounds of the Suburbs record store in West London. Then, on 11 December of that year, the Queen of the Night Limited Edition 4-track EP compact disc was issued through ElasticStage.com. In February 2026, the boys from Birmingham played this song and others in their hometown at the Victoria Pub. Gaining momentum and notoriety, on 10 April they performed it once more with other numbers from the EP at NecroscopE, a goth-industrial night at the Arches Venue in Coventry. This was followed by the band’s milestone debut performance at Whitby Goth Weekend in Yorkshire on May Day. A week later was their gig at Insurgency hosted by Real Goths UK in Cannock, with “Queen of the Night” being warmly received once again. Looking further ahead, this spellbinding title track will be included on the band’s second LP, entitled Jupiter II, which is scheduled for release in 2027.

This horizontal Black & White photo depicts the two band members of The Moons of Jupiter. They are standing and leaning against a wire fence. Behind them is a shopping mall, the façade of which is composed of large glass panels, with the interior having an arched ceiling suspended by metal beams. The keyboardist Nicky Rowe is on the left in all black attire consisting of a knitted hat, hoodie, t-shirt with an illustrated cat print, jeans and sneakers. He has long hair and is clean-shaven. The vocalist James Harris is on the right, about 2 feet (.609 meters) from Nicky. He is also in all black attire with a leather jacket, plain t-shirt, jeans and ankle boots. He has long hair, a goatee, and moustache. Both are looking towards the right of the image with calm expressions. They are both of medium build and appear to be about 40ish. The photo was taken at night and they are illuminated by a street light.

Moons of Jupiter duo: keyboardist Nicky Rowe (left) and vocalist James Harris. (Photo by David Brinkworth)

The other Queen of the Night EP tracks include the instrumental “White Rabbit”, which evokes a chase scene of sorts, like Alice’s pursuit of the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 children’s novel Alice in Wonderland. Its electrically charged atmosphere and swirling synthesized vortexes have an almost interdimensional quality to it, inviting one to explore ever farther. Then there’s “Queen of the Night” (Black Orchid Remix), which is a somewhat peppier version than the original with a high-stepping synth tempo. It’s layered intertwining vocals and undulating keyboards are an intoxicating mix sure to fill the dancefloor of any self-respecting alternative nightclub. Lastly, “Penny Dreadful,” another instrumental piece, charts an acoustic course veering from the euphoric to the paranoic, playing with our emotions like those sensational 19th century pulp thrillers from which this track gets its name. Seldom have I encountered two blokes who are able to so effectively tap into the psyches of the perpetually alienated romantics who walk among us. Salutations and genuflections to the Moons of Jupiter!

ORDERING INFO FOR THE LIMITED-EDITION VINYL EP QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
Only 150 copies were pressed and are now available at:
ElasticStage.com/TheMoonsofJupiter

MOONS OF JUPITER SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook
YouTube

This horizontal Black & Red photo depicts a mysterious woman with a dark veil draped over the sides of her head and shoulders, and she wears a long black dress. Her face is gaunt, and her expression is simultaneously seductive and menacing. In her right hand she holds a human skull. At the bottom-left of the photo are two more skulls lying on the ground. She is illuminated in an oval-shaped field of red light, outside of which is pitch black.

The Queen of the Night and her collection of lovers’ skulls. A cautionary tale. (Artwork & photography by Ian Banfield)

Back to the Current Articles Page
Back to the Home Page

unique visitors