As rock guitar bands marched across the mainstream we received an influx of bands saturating the charts with the jangling deathknell of respectability for the medium. As we stand at the tail end of this trend, bands are emerging once more who champion all that once made this niche genre so appealing, Cheshire three piece The Luka State are one of those bands, well they’re certainly dressing the part.
Latest single ‘Rain‘ released on the 7th July exhibits quite fairly all the reasons why The Luka State genuinely do deserve your attention. With a catchy, spangly and melodic chorus that welcomes a comparison to Travis, ‘Rain’ is a testament to strong British songwriting. Written by Conrad Ellis as he walked home in the rain after hearing of a tragedy in his family, the track had every right to become a morose and indulgent piece of reflection, but it isn’t. Opening with the line “I close my eyes, and see you standing there” it manages to divert the message from depressive to escapist, possibly an exploration of the inability of the modern man to properly give in to his emotions with the myriad of distractions available to escape into. Conrad chooses to pour himself into this track, “only music gets me through, I don’t feel lonely, I just want to escape, so hide in the shelter”.
Underneath the raw vocality, lies a track so intricate it seems simple. There is an orchestra of instrumentalism going on and it’s hard to pick out precisely what everything is doing as it intertwines so seamlessly. As the chorus kicks in though, the guitar of Ellis and the chiming rhythmic bass of Sam Bell effortlessly take centre stage. The entire track is powered by the percussion of Jess Whitmore, which transforms from a gentle drizzle at the beginning to bursts of hailstone in the choruses. As the first chorus fades Whitmore keeps time with a slightly fiercer downpour, ever building and exploding into a torrential soaking for the tracks finale.
Produced by Sam Williams who has previously worked with British indie royalty Supergrass, it would be easy to label The Luka State as a revival, bringing guitar bands back into a position of power and respect. You can certainly hear his influence on this single, that playful, twisting, funky edge on the track is apparent.
There are hints of Oasis within the bands sound (as well as their haircuts, massive respect to what we assume is the Drummer for shunning that trend), they already have the backing of the BBC and Kerrang! Radio, but they’re going to have to adopt a bit more of the Gallagher‘s “I don’t give a fuck” to match the look, that is if they want to be a Yack favorite at least.
You can listen to more of their music on their soundcloud here.
Words by Matt Miles
