Mickey Moone Sets Out to ‘Ride Alone’

Canadian songwriter Mickey Moone isn’t asking for attention — but it’s hard not to give it to him. Armed with nothing more than a few mics, a couple of instruments, a stubborn work ethic, and a sharp instinct for melody, Moone has quietly built one of the most distinctive voices in modern roots music. And now, with the release of two strikingly different singles — “Take It Easy” and his newest single “Blue & Lonely” — ahead of his solo album Ride Alone, he’s proving just how much ground one man can cover when he doesn’t wait for permission.

“Take It Easy,” released earlier this year, is a soft-focus ballad that wears its heart on a rolled-up sleeve.

Moone’s love of 1950s pop and analog warmth is obvious — but it’s not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. The song works because it’s sincere. Every instrument you hear — drums, guitar, bass, vocals, the whole thing — is Moone. There’s no studio band, no session players, no digital sleight of hand. Just a guy in a home studio, layering parts until the story is told.

That DIY approach spills into the music video, which was shot guerilla-style on a Galaxy S24 at a drive-in theater before sunrise. Directed by Marc Simmons and co-starring Moone’s real-life partner Julie “Ginger” Moone, the video matches the track’s unfiltered charm: romantic, slightly goofy, and dead serious about how it feels. Moone calls it a “message in an analog bottle,” and for once, that kind of poetic phrasing isn’t just PR. It fits.

But if “Take It Easy” is the sound of a guy walking home under streetlights with his heart full, then “Blue & Lonely” is him waking up hungover, sarcastic, and half-ready to fight. The third single from Ride Alone, this one leans hard into cowpunk swagger — somewhere between a honky-tonk breakdown and a punk rock bar fight. Moone spits lines like “I just stopped by to get some medicine” with a crooked smile and a raised eyebrow. It’s bitter, sure. But it’s funny. And that’s the point.

What’s wild is how well the song holds together, considering the entire core was recorded by Moone himself again. A few key collaborators — including harmonica player James Fitzgerald, bassist Taso Rose, and vocalist Rebecca Quinn — flesh things out, but the drive is pure Mickey. It’s a song that manages to sound thrown together and laser-focused at the same time.

The animated video for “Blue & Lonely” pushes the absurdity even further. Moone illustrated and directed the whole thing himself, drawing on the warped cartoon sensibilities of shows like Ren & Stimpy. The result is crude in the best possible way: surreal, dark, funny, and weirdly endearing. “The song is ridiculous, so the video had to be too,” Moone says. It is. And it works.

Together, the two tracks suggest that Ride Alone won’t be a record easily boxed in. It’s shaping up to be a genre-skipping, sharp-eyed collection of songs about heartbreak, absurdity, and everything in between. Folk, rockabilly, punk, country — none of it’s off limits, and none of it feels forced. Moone’s sound isn’t a collage. It’s a synthesis. And it’s his. Beyond the recordings, Moone has been quietly building his name the old way — town by town, show by show. Known in parts of Ontario as “that folk-a-billy-country-punk guy,” he’s been playing the kind of DIY venues that still matter: the dive bars, the record store backrooms, the rural fairgrounds where a busted amp and a good hook can win over a crowd better than any press release.

This summer, Moone hits the road again across southern Ontario, with a mix of solo shows and full-band sets featuring his group The Murder. Whether it’s just him and a mic stand or a full-stage stomp, the message is the same: he’s not here to follow the industry script. He’s here to play, record, and survive. And he’s damn good at all three.

Ride Alone doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, but the story it’s telling is already clear: being on your own doesn’t mean you’re empty. Sometimes it means you’re finally in control. Keep your eyes here on RacketeerRadio.com and your ears tuned into Racketeer Radio KFQX for all the upcoming Mickey Moone information, album release dates and more!