Evolving out of the post-punk project Monta at Odds, Religion of Heartbreak is a trio that explores a darker, more dance-oriented sound with minimal wave aesthetics and intricate drum and percussion programming. The group consists of Dedric Moore, Mikal Shapiro, and Krysztof Nemeth. Their debut release as Religion of Heartbreak, Dream Reflection, was released in February 2025. In an email interview, Moore discusses the origins and creative process behind the band.
The members of Religion of Heartbreak had been in Monta at Odds. Could you discuss how Religion of Heartbreak developed out of that project?
Dedric Moore: Monta at Odds is my big post-punk “rock sound” band. I began writing more dancefloor songs with intricate drum and percussion programming and focusing on minimal wave ideas of only using the essentials. After writing several songs I felt that the music was steps away from what Monta at Odds is. When members were unavailable we did a few shows as a Monta at Odds trio and it worked well and the crowd responded. It felt right so we decided to officially branch off as a new band.
How does the collaborative and creative process compare to that of Monta at Odds?
Dedric Moore: I’ve always been one of the main writers of Monta at Odds and I do all the arrangements and mixing. My brother, Delaney, would stop in and give production notes and play synths. We would test out songs in practice and have the other Monta members record their parts. With Religion of Heartbreak I do all of the music writing and production and Mikal and I write lyrics. Krysztof will add in his baritone guitar once the arrangements are set. Delaney still sends me songs for inspiration in sound and production.
What are your primary musical tools? Do you work primarily with hardware or software synths? (or both?)
Dedric Moore: I don’t use software synths because I am tactile and like to manipulate the synths manually. I barely use midi. A lot of our gear is old and won’t talk to each other. It’s always been easier to set up my synth collection and pick and choose what sound would go well with a melody. I am always impressed with what I hear from software synths and I always say someday I’m going to dive in and figure it out.
My Korg Minilogue gets a lot of use lately along with the microKorg XL. Even my microtrons are used. I have an old Crumar synth for classic string riffs. The Moog Opus 3 and the Sub Phatty show up in the mix as well. I have a Roland drum machine and bass synth. I have an array of guitar pedals I use to sculpt the sound along with a Roland Space Echo RE-150 for some atmosphere. My Univox guitar and my Fender Jazzmaster are my go to guitars. I sample parts and rearrange and run through effects to create new sound based on what the song needs.
Could you talk about Kosmic City and your relationship with it?
Dedric Moore: First off, I love music and especially anything in the dark scene. I attend all of our Kosmic City shows and play host for the night.
Kosmic City is a collective I founded to help build the Kansas City dark music scene. Previous shows had varied lineups which didn’t always meld or also fans wouldn’t know about it until after the fact. I invited several stalwarts of the dark music scene to help curate nights that had a nice flow and would be music the crowd appreciated. We also put the genres we work in on the posters and it really helped people understand what they would experience and has helped build a following that trusts our events.
Steve Tulipana from Season to Risk is a musician and one of the owners of minibar and recordBar and is part of the collective. With the option of a small club and a medium size club we have been able to bring in emerging artists as well as established bands. Our first year we did 40 shows and plan on another 40 in 2025. Check our website for the bands we’ve hosted and will host. It’s a long list of my favorite bands in the scene. We’ve made so many friends with the touring bands and all of them have been lovely people. It makes it worth the effort.
What made you choose the name Religion of Heartbreak?
Dedric Moore: When I was working on the new music, Religion of Heartbreak was the working title for the album. When I would mention it to people they would comment on how goth it sounded and conjured up great imagery. After a tour to Treefort fest, Mikal and I were listening to Violator on repeat in the van. It helped driving across the desolate landscape in a snow storm for hours on end. The feeling we got from it was what we wanted the new material to feel. I began writing minor chord darker emotional songs and when we decided to branch out as a new band the name stuck. We are serious about our music but easy going people so I don’t want people to think we sleep in a crypt. But our mindset was dark synthpop mixed with minimal wave and elements of psych krautrock.
What is in the foreseeable future for Religion of Heartbreak? Do you have any touring plans? Are you working on a full-length album?
Dedric Moore: We are planning on touring the midwest first and then seeing how far we can get this year. I love both coasts so it would be nice to perform and meet people in scenes I only read and hear about. So hopefully that materializes this year and next.
We are indeed working on a new full-length next. The plan is to release it in the fall. It’s exciting because it is ROH 2.0 for us. We are confident in the progress and the way our sound has developed. It will be dance floor friendly but still have a dark attitude.
Dream Reflection can be purchased at religionofheartbreak.bandcamp.com.
