Luna Shadows makes music for the present. As in right now. It’d be hard to imagine an artist more plugged into the current moment, crafting emotive, drenched ballads ready made to set indie pop’s fleeting fascination with dance afire.
Listen to the new single “practice”
Not your typical pop darling contender, Shadows was a touring member of New Zealand synth-pop group The Naked and Famous, but had a voice demanding to be heard on its own terms. Shadows daringly treads near darkness without ever falling prey to self-indulgence or gloom. She gets lost in her feelings without losing us, reaching into sorrow without ever growing performative, and while making sure it never loses a gleam. The young piano player and singer-songwriter has gradually emerged from emptiness, signing with +1 Records and tenaciously building a reputation, song by song, ear by ear.
“practice,” her latest single, isn’t too far removed from the omnipresent feels of a Drake generation. The newest track from her forthcoming debut album, “practice” begins with a reminder to check your mentions before descending into wistful, clear-sighted ruminations on love and loss.
The more “the kids” move away from storybook definitions of love and faithfulness, the more pop gravitates towards novel, open-minded views of romance. Luna Shadows, endlessly inclusive and forging a world her own all at once, is tailor made for just such a vibe.
While Shadows has at time layered her vocals in the mix, here, they’re dominant, soaring over a patiently building, entrancing musical backdrop. “Love is just practice, we’ll keep workin’ at it,” she sings, free of shame or pain. It’s likely to make you think of that lover. The one you could have sworn it would have worked with, the one you were so sure was it. It might even make you want to shed a tear at first, but by the time it’s over, you’ll be smiling. You might even be forgiving. Luna Shadows wants us all to be bit easier on ourselves. “practice” is here to make it all feel alright. To date, Shadows has achieved over 35 million streams across platforms.”practice” follows the release of singles “lowercase” and “god.drugs.u,” which have received SiriusXM Alt Nation airplay, playlisting on Spotify’s Indie Pop, and more.
“Like all songs in this series, this song involves a breakdown or barrier in communication both in the digital and physical worlds,” Shadows says of the song. “In the most literal interpretation, “practice” is an imaginary conversation with a bridge jumper, beginning with a retroactive plea for them to check their Twitter mentions as they might’ve seen the outpouring of love left for them before they made an irreversible decision. The chorus is a sentiment that someone once expressed to me in a dark hour: that love is a process, something in constant refinement, something never damaged beyond repair, somewhere that you can always return. This message reached me at a necessary moment, and I wanted to forward it musically with the hope that it might reach someone who needs to hear it right now.”