When former Late Of The Pier frontman Sam Eastgate (the mastermind behind LA Priest) found himself stranded in Puerto Morelos – unable to cross the border to Belize due to travel restrictions – he created Fase Luna.
Inspired by the Mexican port town’s ancient connection to the sea, guitar parts shimmer like sun glitter throughout.
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“Late at night I can hear your voice in the ocean/ In the night time I see your motion… Nothing can keep you away from my arms” – It’s You is a dreamy song about falling in love with a mermaid, but the incredible accompanying music video portrays a different kind of aquatic love story: between a woman and a sewage fatberg.
LA Priest’s previous release, 2020’s GENE, was named after the modular drum machine he designed, built and used to create that record. Eastgate has since developed a DIY chord progression generator (available for use on his website: earthwindow.org), which helped him write half the songs on this bewitching follow-up album. He also used a translation tool to write the Spanish lyrics in Fase Luna’s “fairy story”, Sail On.
Surreal, innovative and loaded with wonky melodies, Fase Luna is a work of astonishing beauty and boundless depth.
Sidenote: How much does the creature on Fase Luna’s cover look like an Empire Of The Sun backup dancer?
Label: Domino
Release date: May 5
