.png)
The Isle of Wight. The beautiful inglenook of England, known for its beach-brushed seafronts and pearly promenades; now, it will be known as the birthplace of the eclectic ensemble that is Luna Carina.
Initially starting out as an indie-studded duo, this music collective was comprised of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Jacob Smith, and guitarist/graphic designer, Jack Print. After the recent release of debut album ‘Lily’, the band broadened their impressive range of creative talent with the vivacious vocals of George Ryan, the synergistic synth of Ewan Edger and the delightful drumming of Jack Hall (Edger and Hall both recruited from Jacob’s other band: Sexy Pretty Things).
The band’s playful passion for creativity and uniqueness meant that their album ‘Lily’ was jam-packed with artists from all around the world, adding their zest-zapped flares of individualism to every hypnotic track Luna Carina has gifted us with. Daring and distinctive, it has led the band to a multitude of successes: including performances at the Isle of Wight festival and several appearances on BBC Introducing, amongst receiving airplay on a plethora of global radio stations.
Anyway, enough gabbing from yours truly! I present to you a gorgeous sample from Luna Carina’s album ‘Lilly’!
*
Diving straight into the mellifluous melodies of track titled ‘Virtue’, we are introduced to mirthful, foot-tapping instrumentation. Toasty tempos tied in a pretty-as-pink bow atop the pillow-soft dynamics, the introduction exudes such a bright, colourful tonality that makes you smile immediately.
With the help of alt-indie singer, Liya, the angelic richness of the vocals wade across the satin-smooth percussion like a water lily atop a summer-spritzed lake!
Sewn into the heartbeat of this track, the contrasting harmonies of the vocals and the guitar progressions enter into a lulling dalliance with one another; married through a mellifluous mixture of pure and mellow timbres.
It is intelligently reflective of the romantic lyricism:
‘Forever in truth / My heart is just for you / Together with you / There’s nothing I won’t do.’
A lot of indie tracks I come across depict the painful side of love, so to find a song that celebrates its power and purity is so refreshingly optimistic that – once again – I can’t help but smile.
In a world encompassed by vices, it is good to remember a little ‘Virtue’…
*
Dancing along to the next track, ‘Feel Alive’, elicits the vocal talent of Spanish songwriter Nekane to ornament this track with her mesmerizingly susurrous vocal style.
With an opening that sounds like an angel performing a garage gig on a blown-out speaker, Luna Carina kicks the track into action with a sparking cadence. Closely followed by dashes of the psychedelic twang of the 60s/70s, Luna Carina incorporates a subtle groove that perked up my ears and made me skip back to what I had heard, nodding my head, and omitting a hearty ‘nice!’.
The influence of American, indie-rock band, Warpaint is audible in this track. Having found inspiration in Warpaint’s funky style, you can hear how Luna Carina has implemented elements of that quirky electronic sound, whilst remaining faithful to their pop-plucked, galvanic individualism. They have created such a seamless blend within the composition, it makes me wonder why more pop tracks aren’t envenomated with an acidic groove more often!
Hand me a blue pint and I’ll bop around as the enlivened instrumentation shakes the stage, playing with an incendiary passion that sends my heartbeat into fifth gear!
*
Enter the snappy and suave, the introductory guitar riff woos the listener into enchantment, played as if the strings were effusing deliquescent sensuality with every note. Sultry single ‘Retrospect’ opens the doors to catchy, warm drumbeats and timbres that sound as if reside in golden shadows!
For this track, Luna Carina is accompanied by the buttery voice of – winner of MTN Project Fame West Africa – Olawale Ojo. I cannot applaud this collaboration enough, Olawale’s smooth performance royally sits atop the instrumentation like a horizon poises atop the land!
The difference in tone, say between this track and ‘Virtue’, is truly breath-taking. Luna Carina has got to be one of the most versatile bands I have ever come across – they are masters of genre-blending in the modern era!
You can hear the luscious arrangement of vocal runs that remind me of the classic R&B sound, and yet distinctly unique, ‘Retrospect’ is the song you’d hear in an expensive beach resort, witnessing a soulful suit serenading a rich heart-breaker – it is simply cinematic!
With intelligent lyrics as rich-sounding as the composition of the track, ‘Retrospect’ is definitely a promising contender for my favourite Luna Carina song!
*
In Luna Carina’s next track – titled ‘Leave Me Light’, we dim the lights and begin to slowly sway our way onto the dance floor.
A jazzy jam flourishing with funk, this track’s euphonious tone melts into the 808-style drumbeat like wax melting around the wick. Contrasting to the perfect parallelism of dewdrop-soft dynamics and angelic, high-pitch harmonies, the drums ornaments the track with a luxuriant depth that ties every element together marvellously.
The eclectic texture of this track is reminiscent to the prominent groove of Nilüfer Yanya, displaying a kaleidoscope of emotional range that is apparent in not only the melodies, but the lyricism:
‘Memories cloud my mind / My mind / Some leave me heavy, and some leave me light.’
This line in particular is mimetic of the abrupt changes life can bring, which is beautifully reflected in the vernal vocals that exude an almost gossamer-thin poignancy; matched only in its delicate nature by the silk-sewn tempo.
On the note of vocals, Luna Carina employs the vocal talent of talented singers Tink Beadle and George Ryan. The intertwining of their voices is as natural as the interlacing of flower and stem, caught in a lithe pirouette with their own backing vocals. Chef’s kiss!
*
Travelling further down this patchwork trail of unexcelled creativity, the listener is transported through a mosaic of hip-hop, dipped in Luna Carina’s shade of iridescence.
In ‘Eager To Gain’, Luna Carina welcomes a triumvirate of talent in the form of Jasmin Tietze, King Marino, and Nekro G!
Lured into the single with a delicate guitar riff, the listener will raise their eyebrows as a crisply dexterous rap verse adds a sinewy twist to Luna Carina’s typical style.
Jumping down a rhythmic rabbit hole of razor-sharp precision, Jasmin Tietze’s aureate lilt acts as a paradisial island between the respective rapping styles of King Marino and Nekro G. Both rappers and their differences in styles create a coalescence that compliments one another with a despotic, gritty demeanour that elevates the single to new heights.
Tackling lyrics grounded in harsh realism, this track is one from Luna Carina that leaves no interpretation concealed.
*
Last – but in no way the least – of all, Nekane returns in ethereal track ‘Find The Key’.
Brimming with syrupy psychedelia, the base is played with an elusive subtly that burrows itself into the otherworldly chiming of Nekane’s vocals. It laces itself around the impetuous drumbeats within a beautiful arpeggio, assuaging the dainty textures that the allegretto tempo etches out.
Weirdly enough, this track reminds of me of the surrealistic show ‘Bee and Puppycat’, eliciting a sad-happy composition that is cushioned by the fluttering, high-pitched vocal performance of Nekane.
Nekane sings with an ecstasy-evoking elation that adds intrepid brushstrokes of vulnerability to ‘Find The Key’ that is mind-blowing.
‘So many voices / Too many strangers / Too many noises.’
Lyricism that acts as a buoy, distinguishing the heartbeat of the song, exudes a sense of loneliness and anxiety that weaves perfectly into the bustling dynamic and haunting background vocals.
Alright, I’ll add another chef’s kiss for ‘Find The Key’!
*
‘Lily’ is available to stream across all platforms right now, so need I say anything else? Get yourself on Spotify and SoundCloud, whilst I eagerly await Luna Carina’s next project!
Luna Carina’s Spotify:
Luna Carina’s SoundCloud:
Luna Carina’s YouTube:
sss