Moon Construction Kit is the musical project of Lausanne-based Swiss musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Olivier Cornu. Blending psychedelic pop, indie rock, dream pop, synthpop, and cinematic textures, Cornu creates richly layered music where late-’60s psychedelia, ’80s synth sounds, and retro-futuristic atmospheres meet modern alternative songwriting.
A self-described “studio creature,” Cornu writes, performs, and produces the music himself, with a particular fascination for intricate arrangements, dreamy vocal harmonies, and carefully constructed soundscapes. His influences stretch from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Zombies to The Pixies, Pavement, and Temples, with classical and bossa nova influences also informing his harmonic approach.
You’re from Lausanne, Switzerland. What kind of place is it?
First and foremost, it’s a city to live in if you want serious leg muscles; it’s built on steep hills. I used to admire the cyclists here, but now that they’re all on e-bikes, they’re all cheating… It’s no contest anymore.
More seriously, it’s a city that has really opened up and transformed over the years. Growing up, it felt a bit gray, quiet, and slightly depressing in retrospect, but today there is a vibrant cultural pulse. I truly love living here.
Could you tell us a little about your childhood?
Although my father died when I was only three, I had a pretty happy childhood. The serious soul-searching came much later.
I remember my mother’s huge piano sitting in the middle of our living room. I’d be lying if I said music was an integral part of my early childhood, but without that piano taunting me every single day, I don’t think I would have ever played a note. I learned guitar first, but it was when I sat down at the piano that my obsession with music really took over.
When did you start writing songs?
In my teens, playing in a high school band. We couldn’t play a note, so it started as a sort of chaotic noise-psych experiment. Punk rock covers were the next logical step after that! But noise-pop and shoegaze were definitely our main influences back then.
Can you tell me a bit about the creative process behind “Right Across the USA”?
The track actually originated a couple of years ago, though it sounded completely different back then—much colder and far more synthetic. The writing process was unusual for me: instead of starting at the piano or with an acoustic guitar, everything was built around that driving synth-bass groove.
When I picked the demo back up recently, I scrapped everything except the bass. The goal was to keep that pulse but rebuild it with power-pop energy: jangly guitars, vocal harmonies, and that extended coda at the end, complete with beatboxed percussion to set the groove.
As for the lyrics, there’s definitely a sense of nostalgia for what the USA represented when I was growing up, compared to the current state of affairs there. It’s not a political song per se, but it touches on it in my own way.
You and I are both avid Brian Wilson fans. Which of his albums is your favorite, and why?
The answer changes every few years, but right now it has to be Sunflower (with Wild Honey and Friends right behind it). “Slip On Through,” “This Whole World,” and “Our Sweet Love” are among my favorite Beach Boys tracks. It’s their most collaborative effort, but you still hear Brian’s touch throughout most of the record, which I find fascinating.
As for Brian’s solo output, his 1988 self-titled debut remains unmatched for me, even with the dated production. “Love and Mercy” and “Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long” are two personal favorites.
Going back to the Beach Boys, I’m also fascinated by the production on The Beach Boys Love You: the quirkiness, the oddball factor, and the synths, of course! But I have a really hard time with the melodies; going from “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” straight into Love You’s “Mona,” for instance, is a genuinely painful experience for me.
What’s a song you secretly love that people would never expect you to like?
I had to dig deep for this one, because 99% of what I listen to is pretty predictable. But if I had to pick two: Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” and Rupert Holmes’s “Terminal.” Every time I hear it, I get this Love Boat vibe, but in a sad, bleak kind of way. I love it.
Which musician would be the most fun—or the most disastrous—to be stuck in an elevator with?
There are several recipes for disaster here, as I’m truly one of the worst small-talkers in the world. But curiously, I’d love to be stuck with someone like Robert Smith. Shyness without the awkwardness.
I love that guy; he’s a huge hero of mine and seems like a very decent, good-natured human being.
What’s something about the music industry that you misunderstood before you entered it?
My answer won’t be original, but it’s sincere: I expected to spend a lot more time making and producing music than trying to get it heard once it’s out. I hate social media and self-promotion with a passion; I wish I could just focus on production and nothing else.
But at the same time, I don’t see any point in making music just for myself without sharing it.
When do you know a song is finished?
Most of the time, it’s when I’m satisfied with the vocals, and specifically the harmonies. Even if I was contemplating changing a verse or a chorus before that, once the vocals are locked and I’m happy with the take, I stop procrastinating on the arrangement and send it off to the mixer.
Do you think artists have a responsibility to say something meaningful, or is entertainment enough?
It all depends on how you interpret the word “meaningful,” as there’s a lot of subjectivity involved. Take The Beach Boys: the meaningful part (at least for me) comes from the chords and the harmonies, not so much the lyrics, with a few notable exceptions (“’Til I Die,” or Tony Asher’s lyrics).
On the other hand, you couldn’t pay me to listen to a Bob Dylan song, even at gunpoint: impossible for me (laughs).
So yes, I do believe artists should bring something personal and meaningful to the table, but the definition of what is “meaningful” differs completely from one person to another.
Is there a part of your personality that only really comes out when you’re making music?
The drive to actually finish things and see them through… It’s so much harder for me to do that in my day-to-day life.
Explore further:
Moon Construction Kit Soundcloud
Moon Construction Kit Instagram
Interview by staff at MBTM
