Lunar Isles is the moniker of David Skimming, a Scottish multi-instrumentalist who produces surf-tinged bedroom pop with a DIY approach from his newfound home of South Korea.
So, I always start writing a review as soon as I press play and start listening to the album. First impressions are crucial and can often lead to chaotic or rushed writing. Still, at least I get raw emotions and my reactions to the tracks as they come at me one by one! Of course, I go back and polish the text (or do I?). Still, I don’t want a review to be an overthought, half-pretentious piece of writing full of fancy vocabulary, half of which I looked up online. Enough about me! Let’s dive into the world of David!
I was thinking what the hell “surf-tinged” means, but to be fair, as soon as the music kicks in, it becomes undeniable. Congratulations to the artist for finding a valid way to describe their sound.
Wherever there is “surfiness”, there is also haziness and dreaminess and a whole vibe that very often transports you to a beach, watching the waves crash while listening to this music. I have heard quite a few “surfy” albums in the past few months, and it’s not really my thing, but fortunately, that’s where the bedroom pop element comes in.
There are numerous lo-fi sounds, retro-sounding drum machines, and vintage minimalist synths that create an excellent foundation for the indie/shoegaze part of the sound, and I absolutely loved that. It was like watching scenes from Stranger Things (not the epic moments, but rather the nostalgic ones).
Songs like “Boycott” are exciting and sound fresh because it is basically The Cure and The Smiths, but then again, it isn’t. There is more variation here, more texture, and no gloominess (thank goodness, I am not one for goth and depression).
Before I read about David being from Scotland, I thought to myself, “It makes sense that this comes from Korea”, and maybe I wanted to believe that, or perhaps, he has taken in and assimilated some elements of music created in that part of the world. There is also something very Gen Z about this. Still, looking at the picture, this gentleman appears to be closer to the age of yours truly (a millennial, anyone?), which made me think of a chicken-and-egg situation, so bear with me.
Surf-sounding music is nothing new, and definitely not of the younger generations. But all this wave of nostalgia has brought them into it, and there are many albums out there in that genre that sound amazing. And then we millennials, or older, take all that in as an influence and make music that, in the end, no one can say what decade it is from, and that is one of the most amazing things about music!
I very much enjoyed slower songs like ‘Walking Backwards’ and the lovely, almost Beatlesque ‘Illuminations’, but my favourites are definitely the ones on the more electronic side of things, like ‘Echo Peak’ and ‘Temporary Space’ (this one almost made me cry).
Overall, this is perfectly described as hazy indie pop, and for fans of this genre, definitely go for it; not only is it very well-made, but it is also not just another one of them but much more special!
Written by Spiros Maus
