Kevin Bronson on April 4th, 2019

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If you were lucky Wednesday night at the Moroccan Lounge, you got a hug from a monster.

The costumed creature with illuminated eyes might on the surface have seemed a little kitschy, but it’s serious business for the Moth & the Flame, the L.A.-via-Utah rockers who were celebrating the release of their sophomore album “Ruthless,” a moody monster itself.

The creature was the star of the band’s hit video for the lead track, “The New Great Depression,” a meditation on mental heath. And while one could debate the commercial ramifications of beginning an eagerly anticipated album with such a heavy song — “The truth is the monster in my head is ruthless,” frontman Brandon Robbins sings — there’s no question it’s the kind of work that elevates the conversation. The video is at a million-plus views on YouTube and counting.

“Depression is something I’ve struggled with since I was 17,” Robbins told a packed room at the Moroccan. “The important thing is to bear in mind what other people are going through. And be nice.”

Like the album, Wednesday’s show was weighted by gravitas and draped in atmospherics. Robbins doesn’t sing so much as sermonize, his resonant vocals coming from someplace deep and looking for someplace hopeful. “Only Just Begun” rocked the room at the start, and the hour-long set included “Sorry” (originally from the band’s 2013 EP) and highlights from their 2016 full-length “Young & Unafraid,” including “Live While I Breathe” and “Red Flag.”

NONA opened the night with a set that included their most recent single “I’m Not Trying” and some tasty unreleased material.

||| Previously: “Only Just Begun,” “Beautiful Couch”