Reviewed by Haydon Spenceley

America’s Luna Halo’s debut album, ‘Shimmer’, released on Sparrow in 2000, was one of those rare beasts in Christian rock music – a record which contained equal dollops of meaty music and insightful lyrics. Now with an entirely new line up, apart from mainstay vocalist Nathan Barlowe, Luna Halo have released this EP as a taster of what is to come. Still unmistakably Luna Halo (a nice cross between Radiohead and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), with plenty of guitars and bounce-along choruses, they seem to have opted for a pleasing, slightly more lo-fi sound on this set. ‘New Drug’ starts deceptively like the Strokes, before kicking in with an huge chorus and “Over the Edge” features a nice line in riffing from Cary Barlowe. But it’s “Half The World Away” which is the standout here. Starting gently, this showcases Nathan’s fine vocals, and the quality of songwriting inherent in Luna Halo, before exploding into the kind of coda which makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. They must be a stunning proposition live these days.

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