I have a place win my heart for jangle pop and beach vibes. Lunar Isles hits in the direct center of the two, reminiscent of early shoegaze. When you listen to their EP and two singles they released in 2022, you might be surprised that Lunar Island is the project of one artist, David Skimming. His music pulls you in to his space, the feeling of a dimly lit room with specks of city lights peering through the windows.
From sunny Scotland, Skimming lives in Cheongju Si, South Korea. During the Pandemic, he began recording songs that would become Lunar Isles. He shared on Instagram:
Like a lot of other people, a good chunk of my 2020 was spent stuck inside at home. Rather than seeing this purely in a negative light, the extra hours at home became an opportunity to tap into the creativity that the constant demands of everyday life often stifles.
The process of creating these songs offered a chance for reflection and escapism that helped alleviate some of the mental heaviness the past year placed on all of us.
David Skimming (Instagram)
David released two full-lengths and two additional singles in 2021, partially recorded in 2020 and 2021. He then released two singles earlier this year, both on Visitor EP that followed. Not stopping, Skimming recorded two more singles.
The opening track of Visitor, Bloom, is a standout song. It has a driving drum beat, beachy guitars, and a direct melody. Other tracks are a little more laid back, with an upfront organ pushing the mood.
Unwinding is his latest single; this song feels similar to Bloom but with stronger dynamics of scaling the instruments back. His vocal layers have a tiled room reverb tone consistently throughout his songs, with a little slap delay. His lo-fi and honest approach is on point.
Balloons has such nice guitar picking running through a tube amp, with a long trailing ambiance. The drums are pulled back a little, with a guitar pushed back with repeated delays. At the end of the song, this guitar comes forward and takes prominence with the drums also slipping toward the listener. The production on this song is excellent.
Keep an eye on Lunar Isles as David continues to hone in and perfect the sound. We can’t wait to hear more.
