Luma Fade characterize themselves as a genre-fluid musical outfit that takes pride in pushing musical boundaries, often transcending genre stereotypes with their sound and instrumentation, often going the extra mile to blend in elements from genres you’d least expect to be in the gauntlet. On their latest release, “Lunar Decay”, they bring in a dystopian, post-rock sound and manage to impress– keep reading for my thoughts!
As a big fan of post-rock and, more generally, music with a pinch of cathartic emotional depth, “Lunar Fade” immediately stood out to me as a well-made album right from the start. The opening track, “Passion Fall”, does not shy away from its use of keys, and blends it in with acoustic instruments like the drums, and it makes for a great atmosphere right from the get-go. There is a lot to unpack here– melodies after melodies, counter-melodies to balance the space, as well as the kind of vocals that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Nirvana record– there, I said it. There is this definite element of grunge, of angst, of unrest; and I’m a fan. The sections dance flawlessly from high to low energy sections, and the execution is solid.
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Segueing into the next track, “Nova Sunshine”, the slight detune on the guitars is evident– and the magic of the tape wow and flutter shine through brilliantly (my thoughts on the mix in a bit), as we settle into a lull, downtempo sound that wouldn’t sound out of place in an El Camino, heading off to the distance, meeting the horizon. There’s an overwhelming sense of sobriety that surrounds you on this track, and there’s a certain kind of skill that one needs to have to be a songwriter to write something like this. Bravo!
Approaching the middle of the album with “Monsoon Morning”, the ringing rhythm guitars make themselves the focus of this track, along with the decidedly higher energy drumming compared to the rest of the album so far. There is a good bit of articulation that “Lunar Fade” has when it comes to making the listener feel emotions on a spectrum, and the album accomplishes that superbly.
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Some other special mentions on the track include “Autumn Endings” with its clean, open sound that gently builds up the tension and emotion, gently taking its time and settling listeners into a pace, entrancing them, almost. The closer, “Winter Warming”, as well, is a song worth a mention with its melodic arrangement.
The mix and master are what shine on “Lunar Decay”, no doubt. From the creative mixing decisions to the technical rubrics used in bringing all the elements together, it really is something quite special. The phased guitars, the wow and flutter in the tape machines, as well as the beautiful, warm and open sound of the album quite effortlessly struck a chord or two in me, and I was left a big, big fan.
“Lunar Decay”, by Luma Fade, is an album I know you’ll enjoy no matter what your go-to style of music is. It’s well-crafted, beautifully ideated, and expertly executed. Check out the album here!
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