The Lunar Towers - Morpho Butterfly

Cheltenham band The Lunar Towers recently released their first song of 2024. ‘Morpho Butterfly’ was recorded at Yawn Studios in the Wirral with the masterful songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones and Nathaniel Cummings (Mick Head) producing. The single has been released via the impeccable Colorama Records.

Banner image & artwork courtesy of the band.

The time spent with Ryder-Jones has been well spent by frontman Rory Moore as he slips into The Coral co-founder’s gentle vocal husk. With Jones as his constant, Moore allows hints of Elliott Smith’s moonlit beauty and ‘Goodnight Unknown’ era Lou Barlow to glide in and out of view effortlessly.

Joe Richardson and Robn Sewell’s guitars provide the backdrop to this ode to the natural world and a beguiling woman they once encountered. The joy of The Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub is never far away from their fingertips. Their wayward beauty erupting into focused bursts of technicolour allows their visions of a “butterfly” or “the girl dreaming of” to swirl with an innocence that guitar music should always be steeped in.

The Lunar Towers' music resonates with summer's lazy, dreamy vibes, punctuated by occasional bursts of genius. Their sound, reminiscent of Belle & Sebastien’s glorious 1996 releases of ‘Tigermilk’ and ‘If Your Feeling Sinister’, captures the fertile periods of youthful ambition.

The Lunar Towers - Hurry Up and Wait

The Lunar Towers are a four-piece hailing from Cheltenham and now residing in London. They consist of Rory Moore (bass/vocals), Joe Richardson (guitars/vocals), Rob Sewell (guitars/vocals), and Bradley Hillier-Smith (drums).

Rory and Joe met by chance in a French class at school and bonded over music, Oasis t-shirts, and Morrissey haircuts. They have recently recorded with The Moons frontman and Paul Weller multi-instrumentalist Andy Crofts, a sure sign of genuine talent.

After the singles ‘Wire’ and ‘Happy As Larry’ were picked up by Shindig magazine, Radio X, and BBC Introducing in the summer, they’ve returned with their debut EP ‘Hurry Up and Wait’. Here’s our track-by-track review:

*Images and artwork courtesy of The Songbird HQ

‘Hurry Up and Wait’ is available to buy on their Bandcamp page.

Plastic Glass Towers

The rippling guitars of Derby peers Marseille can shimmer on the darkest of winter days. Not content with bringing the sunshine to grey landscapes, they have Teenage Fanclub’s innate ability to conjure an escapist momentum to revel in.

There’s a ramshackle beauty to Sewell’s vocals which evokes Pastels’ Creation Records era. The abrasive yet beautiful delivery gives them a joyous us versus the world sonic!

Pillar 2 Post

This time out, Richardson takes the vocal lead which transforms the bands sound. Blessed with the smokiness of Elliot Smith, the lo-fi drawl of Lou Barlow, and the joy of The Orchids’ James Hackett, It allows their sunny disposition to roam free.

The sumptuous guitars meander with the effortless beauty of Lawrence in his Felt days and the folk-indie magic of Belle & Sebastian. What prevents them from becoming just another indie band with a nice jangle is the directness of the solo. It brings Teenage Fanclub and Goa Express into play which broadens their horizons and therefore, future excitement exponentially.

Southern Love

With The Byrds in their hearts, they set sail for the Laurel Canyon. McGinn’s guitars and crosby’s soulful vocals are reimagined to a scintillating effect. The urgency is instant. The vitality is necessary! This is rock ‘n’ roll at its absolute best. Desperate to set the soul free from its trappings via art and integrity.

Back To You

Vocally, Moore has found a sweet spot between the abrasive Pete Shelly and The Jacques’ Finn O’Brien. What makes him more special is the re-homing of the punk spirits in this gentler sonic.

The guitars have the warming glow of Richard Hawley in a parallel universe where he joined forces with Strangelove and Luke Haines to conjure an awkward yet endearing form of crooning.