During 2014 a couple of songs from a band called Lunar Twin appeared on Soundcloud. We were instantly hooked on the dreamwave sound and “Sirens” became Indie Pop-Ups’ favourite song of 2014. Back then we got in touch with the band for some background information and agreed that we would write an artist profile. Below is the original profile text followed by the original review of their debut EP.
Lunar Twin is a dreamwave band from Los Angeles consisting of Christopher Murphy (production/music) and Bryce Boudreau (vocals/co-production). They met in July 2011, at the Denver Underground Music Festival when Bryce joined as a guest of Chris’ previous gothic synth band Nightsweats. They formed Lunar Twin in October 2013, and derived the band’s name from a theory about earth having possibly had a twin moon.
As you can tell from the band’s name, the members have an interest in space- and time theories. They draw inspiration from Einstein’s Twin Paradox and Theory of Relativity. What it means for man(kind)’s place in the universe is reflected in their lyrics. Other sources for their lyrical themes are nature (the ocean, wilderness, landscapes) and culture (both ancient and modern, e.g. mega cities).
The music connects with the lyrical themes through spacey soundscapes with use of guitar reverbs, electronics and nature sounds. Their musical influences are diverse and range from New Wave (Joy Division, Gary Numan) to Hip Hop (Nas, Wu Tang Clan); from classic psychedelica (13th Floor Elevators) to modern downtempo (Massive Attack, Portishead, Thievery Corporation, Soulsavers); and from classic and modern songwriters like Billie Holliday, Leonard Cohen, Rodriguez and Santogold. They blend their musical and lyrical influences together to make a modern psychedelic and cinematic sound.
In October 2014 Lunar Twin combined four songs to their debut EP “Lunar Twin”.
The EP opens with the summery “Sirens”. It isn’t a summer road trip song, but a dreampop summersong for those reflective, self-defining moments. The image of oneself by the beach pops up, hearing waves, and reflecting on whether the Sirens distracted you from following your dreams at the horizon. The warm sounds and vocals fortunately make you feel comfortable and accepting, whatever the outcome of your thoughts. Just like Sirens, “Champagne” has a cinematic mysterious feel, although it is not as much summery, as it is romantic. This time ‘fine wines and champagne’ help reflecting. Instantly images from Twin Peaks come to mind. “Metroplex” musically recalls synth pop artists like early Human League, Gary Numan and Kraftwerk. It is darker than the other songs, and deals with connecting with people in an anonymous city. The drums and synths resemble the rhythm of a mega city where you get lost, but also where ‘you’re never alone’, maybe because ‘the DJ seems to know you’. The lyrics ‘smoke and mirrors, carbon faces’ reminds of Kraftwerk’s Showroom Dummies. The most psychedelic and shoegaze song of the EP is “Cruel Water”. It’s a haunting journey to come to terms with oneself and therefore leaving a loved one.
To conclude, the four songs make a soundtrack for man’s quest to free from boundaries and connect with oneself, others and the living surroundings. All Lunar Twin’s influences blend together making this unsigned band a musical and lyrical force to reckon with.
In June 2015 the song “Champagne” was picked up by Berlin based ‘futuristic pop’ label Emerald & Doreen Recordings, and was released as a Remix EP including dance mixes by a diversity of DJ’s and producers. In september “Champagne” was finally accompanied by a beautiful video, directed by Jay Valencia. Lunar Twin are currently working on new music.
Lunar Twin are an unsigned band. You can buy their EP at iTunes or Bandcamp.
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