Every once in a while, the algorithm works. I was listening to ISON and Remina recently and after the album finished, the streaming service played a song called “Your Monsters”. I was instantly hooked, and I’ve been somewhat obsessed with artist, Lunar and the Deception, since then. They just released a new album called The Somnambulist (which means sleepwalker) on March 6th, and I can’t get enough.
Lunar and the Deception comes to us from London. It seems like they’ve been around for a long time, actually, but this is their official debut album, so far as I can tell. The band includes Britt Xyra Dusk on vocals, lyrics, stones, and bones ‘n bowls, Hedge Seel on drums and percussion, Thomas Hammond on guitar and synths, and Greg Chapter on bass, piano, synths, and programming. Why are there only three people in the band photos? I have no idea.
As you can probably tell from the lineup, the band plays a gothic, witchy sort of rock. I would also call it alternative folk, psychedelic, and darkwave. There is a glorious haze that hovers over the entire album, an ancient mist full of magic and memory. Echoes and spiritualism keep us company as the album marches through gorgeous melodies, memorable guitar segments, and excellent hooks. It is exotic in its simplicity.
Britt’s vocals are wonderfully smooth, and she loves to add little eccentric twists that I think elevate the music even more. For some reason, I’m in love with Hedge’s drumming, as well, not because it’s particularly technical, but because it is engaging and adds to the feeling of sacred primal wisdom.
The Somnambulist isn’t a long album at just under 40 minutes, but less is more here. I love each of the eight tracks and it’s a consistent album that doesn’t cram the best songs to one side. It opens with one of my favorites, “No More Secrets”, a hypnotic and shadowy slowburn that explodes when the chorus hits; I love how the guitars mix with Britt’s voice during the chorus in a way that gives me goosebumps. “Ezeru Kazpam” (the curse of silver) comes next and is quite explicit lyrically as it takes on the shallowness and danger of riches. I find it a warm and somewhat hopeful song that makes me want to escape consumerism.
Next comes “Your Monsters”, which I still can’t get enough of, honestly. I love the piano as it leads into Britt’s perfect vocal melody, the strings and lumbering drums as they take us further, and finally the guitar work that sends us to the stars. It’s such a catchy and amazing tune. The first half ends with “The Great Bison”, the longest track at just over six minutes. This one is very interesting with Britt’s vocal flourishes, the slow build, and the climactic rocking guitars and percussion that give us a satisfying ending.
The second half is just as good, though a little different. Right out the gate, we have two more favorites, “Storm” and “Eclipse”. The former has a circular vocal melody that I find myself humming constantly. It doesn’t feel stormy, per se, more like a shelter from the tempest. The latter has such a soothing, gorgeous tone, and I love the vocal harmonies near the end—they are so addictive. The band is really good at adding something extra to a song to make it stick in your head.
The last two songs are less “rock” than the others. “The Way Down” is a quiet beauty with light percussion, feeling somewhat like Dead Can Dance to my ears. It feels ponderous and even a little foreboding. The closer “We Looked the Other Way” has an electronic overlay, and combined with beauteous strings, it feels like the end of the ritual, not like resolution, but like a call to accept blame and move into a better future. It’s such a layered and mesmerizing song.
Lunar and the Deception are a fantastic surprise for me. Their music is both eccentric and organic, calling us into cosmic spaces while bring us closer to the Earth. And through all the delicious pomp and melody, it calls out one thing louder than others: don’t fear being human, don’t scorn a life close to the planet and to each other. It calls for an awakening to the manmade dangers all around us. Fans of a wide range of genres should find comfort here.
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Find Lunar and the Deception online:
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