Fionn Get Intergalactic in “Picnic On The Moon (Live)” | Range

The Vancouver twin sisters’ live rendition of their latest folk-pop anthem showcases their sugar-coated telepathic harmonies. 

Vancouver-based folk-pop duo Fionn’s candy-coated positivity anthem “Picnic on the Moon” has already been racking up the views on YouTube, and the newly released live rendition of their latest single only helps to showcase the kind of harmonies that only a pair of twin sisters could achieve even more. While the original video saw the sisters getting abducted by aliens and brought from a drab black and white world into a colourful picnic scenario, the live rendition shot at 604 Studios spotlights the impressive musicality on display as the duo return to their folk-tinged roots before a build-up to a soaring chorus with a bit of a pop-punk edge.

The song itself was written during the pandemic’s uncertain early days as vocalist Brianne Finn-Morris took up a full-time job in childcare amid an overarching feeling of hopelessness as live shows faded away. Lyrically, it tackles her discovery of happiness in the little things in life to get through the tough times and being able to make her own fun. “I give a lot of credit to the kids, as they helped me to see the mundane from a childlike and exciting point of view,” she says. “What really tied the song together was one of the imaginative children I was working with. Every day he would point at the sky and ask if we could go have a ‘Picnic on the Moon.’ The phrase stuck with me, as it brought such a beautiful image to my mind.”

We caught up with the sisters below to talk about the new live rendition, picnic essentials, and not taking things so seriously. 

The anthemic chorus of this one certainly translates over into a live setting – are you already thinking about putting this one at the very start or end of a concert setlist?

We definitely feel like this would be a great start to a concert.

What made you want to revisit your earlier, more folksy sound that comes out in the track’s introduction?

After lots of experimenting with other genres, we find this sound to be the most authentic to us, at least for now! As human beings, we’re always growing and our taste is simultaneously changing. 

This song seems to be about finding the little moments of joy when life was so limited by the pandemic – what are some of the things you did to get through?

We spent a lot of time working on music. It was also very important to get outside as much as possible, so we got ski passes and went up the mountain twice a week. We felt really lucky to have access to such a beautiful place when we were so limited in what we could do. 

Who have been some of your biggest musical inspirations? What have you been listening to lately?

They’re definitely all over the place. We have Orla Gartland and Greta Isaac on heavy rotation, two lovely indie ladies from the UK. We’ve also been loving the song “Go Easy Kid” by Monica Martin. As for the biggest musical inspiration, we think it’ll always be Taylor Swift; an absolute songwriting legend. 

You mention that this song was inspired by the imaginative spirit and enthusiasm of kids that you’ve worked with – do you have any other words of wisdom they’ve shared?

It wasn’t so much words of wisdom, but just a general appreciation for all the little things in life. It didn’t take much to have them in stitches laughing, or just to spark their curiosity. I feel like entering the world as fresh adults, we get so stuck on the bigger picture that we forget to enjoy everything around us, and that’s what ‘Picnic on the Moon’ touches on. We don’t need to take everything so seriously all the time.   

It’s an undeniable fact that twins always have the best harmonies – do you think you have twin telepathy in other areas?

Definitely! We even dream about the same places.

If you really had a picnic on the moon, what would you bring?

A Charcuterie board and a chilled bottle of white wine!

What’s next for Fionn? Anything else you’d like us to know?

We have a lot of new tunes coming. Perhaps you can expect a new album in 2023!