Description
Ava Lunas self-titled album marks a grounded and introspective evolution for the Brooklyn quartet. Now consisting of Carlos Hernandez, Julian Fader, Ethan Bassford, and Felicia Douglass, the band returns after a long hiatus with a stripped-down sound centered on drums, bass, and dual vocals. This back-to-basics approach, a shift from the cosmic feel of their previous Moon 2, is rooted in shared NYC experiences and the rhythms of everyday life.
Themes of exhaustion, community, and precarious joy emerge across tracks like
Lasting Impression, about job-weariness, and Math Money Job, a playful chant on reunion and embodiment. Julians drums and Ethans bass drive the album, inspired in part by Soul Coughings raw sampling style, heard on tracks like Frame of Us. Vocally, Carlos and Felicia move as oneblending, harmonizing, and fragmenting with intent, especially on Archive.
Though minimalist at its core, the albums sound is lush and textural, enriched by congas from reggae legend Larry McDonald, piano, samples, and guitar noise. Songs like Social Diving and My Walk reflect personal and urban histories, while Your Man and Fancy speak to resilience and dignity. The result is Ava Luna at its most honest and refineda portrait of NYC and of a band still evolving, still urgent.
RIYL: Talking Heads, Dirty Projectors, Tune-Yards, Arthur Russell, Deerhoof, Digable Planets, ESG
post-soulpulsating from one energy to another, suggesting art project and ritual. THE NEW YORK TIMES
irresistibly funAva Luna are an exhilarating live band PITCHFORK
a beaming mix of ice-cool vintage 80s no wave grooves and extra-lush three-part girl group harmoniesAva Luna has infectious, minimalist, ESG-style beats for days. SPIN
equal parts brain and soul, pairing tricked-out synth work with Motown-inspired dance grooves. THE NEW YORKER
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