Gothic alt-rock outfit Luna and the Aether unleash themselves onto the scene with Metanoia, a debut album of epic proportions. The Ōtautahi trio have crafted a musical landscape of twisted distortion, powerful vocals and deep emotive lyrics set across a backdrop of blood and fantasy, exploration and longing. Luna Cubillana (vocals, guitar) leads the trio of Evan Oijordsbakken (bass) and Dave van Eerden (drums) with her strong war cry-like vocals full of multilayered harmonies woven inseparably to her distorted guitar. She channels her Celtic heritage, bringing vocal styles of folk songs of days gone, to transport her contemporary audience to her own spiritual realm.
Mirage begins the album to the sound of a discarded music box, broken and slightly off-kilter, casting an illusion of false security. A droning opening guitar riff accompanied by tribal drums slowly opens up the track, and the record as a whole, to a giant void full of reverberation and darkness. Magnolia extends a branch inviting you in before swallowing you up into a sea of raw emotions.
The instrumentation on Sojourn sits right on the precipice of doom metal and desert rock but Cubillana’s vocals cling tight, making sure it holds onto its own genre. The slow ringing bass line trudges thick and heavy as van Eerden’s drumming battles off its violent enemies coming in from every angle. Sojourn feels like the silent rage of a woman sending her lover off to war. You can feel the distance between two places as guitar solos enter the fold, desperately searching for a fitting end. This is a song made for closed eyes and slow head banging.
The album highlight, and very fittingly titled, Haven strips it all back for an absolutely stunning acoustic ballad to be sung by travelling bards around warm campfires and quiet inns. “It’s never hurt like this before, it’s just like you told me” tells a story of a woman who has lost her soul mate, who may not have even loved her in the first place. This is a gorgeous showcase of Luna’s harrowingly haunted vocal harmonies and song craftsmanship. The lyrics hold secrets between the lines and the poetry is second to none.
There is a lot of space given to these songs. They lure you in and build towards their heavier sections, letting you soak into their unconventional lengths. A spell has been cast here. Each song is a tale of such sorrow and heartache while the guitars twist together so perfectly with Cubillana’s righteously otherworldly vocals. If you listen to it and it reminds you of gargoyles and cathedrals or stormy nights of epic proportions…. heck yeah, you’re listening to Gothic Rock. Metanoia is a stunning debut album carrying weight, purpose and surprise. I can’t wait to lay out the tarot cards and see what the future holds for Luna and the Aether.
Albums to complement Luna and the Aether – Metanoia
Mermaidens – Perfect Body – 2017
Lila Ehja – Clivota – 2024
Cocteau Twins – Head Over Heels – 1983
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About the author Mag Kirk-Davies
Hey, I’m Mag. Aspiring filmmaker turned gardener turned theatre projectionist… I’m also from Hokitika. I moved down a few years ago, leaving Auckland behind to pursue a quiet life and raise a family in the land of the long whitebait fritter. I only realised once I got here it might be tough getting to see live gigs living so far from the big city. I help run Hokitika’s Regent Theatre operations as the projectionist and had a realisation: I can bring the live acts to play at the venue. So it’s been an absolute lifetime highlight doing just that and putting this town on the touring map. I’ve been obsessed with multimedia my whole life. Listening to cassettes in my bedroom as a toddler. 10 for $10 movies at the local video rental on weekends. Getting hooked on record collecting as a broke student, and now I get to plan
