Written by Low Po-Yu, on 12-11-2008 06:29

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It's interesting to read from this band's official site that they evolved from an act of betrayal. Being completely honest, they talked about how they were burdened with the weight of keeping a secret from the singer of the band they were playing with at that time - which I believe was called Fuzzbox (from a previous interview I did with them).

Coincidentally, they progressed to the same junior college and university and their music aspirations remained faithfully in sync, moving them towards the same direction.

Vocalist Linda Ong revealed there is actually a behind-the-scenes fourth member whom they term The Muse who helps scape their musical world.

Together, they managed to secure a distribution deal with Universal Music within Singapore for their debut album The Chrysalis which will already be available in stores when you're reading this.

Kudos should be given to them for taking time from their busy careers to perseveringly pursue music despite being clearly aware that ours is a very small and hard market for local outfits to penetrate - drummer Loo Eng Teck and Linda are litigation lawyers while guitarist Ho Kah Wye is a chemical engineer.

They independently produced and financed the whole album which took them two years and $12,000 to produce.

Just like what the title aptly suggests, The Chrysalis is Lunarin's maiden foray into a full length studio recording and signifies the culmination of the band's arduous efforts - symbolic of the transformation from pupa to butterfly. Comprising ten original tracks all written by Lunarin, they collaborated with electronic musicians Mark Wong and Jacen Tan on 'Eclipse', 'Shiver' and 'Usher' and also enlisted the help of violinist Natalie Soh (from local band Serenaide) to play violins on 'Silverpiece' and 'The Chrysalis'.

Painstaking detail was taken in recording the best tones for the guitars and drums and vocals using a Neumann U-87 which happens to be the trusty favourite mic for Hong Kong singer Eason Chan.

Lunarin spared no costs in flying to L.A. to engage the services of acclaimed mastering engineer Eddy Schreyer whose discography includes the Offspring and Alice in Chains while commissioning French digital artist Marie Guillaumet to design the CD artwork to complement the whole audio landscape and achieve the desired effect.

Said Ho Kah Wye, "When we first embarked on this project, the road seemed long and strenuous. It was the encouragement of our family, the support of our friends, each member's presence and most importantly, the joint belief in our brand of music that led to the conception of The Chrysalis. We invite the world to join us on this journey." At this point, the burning question in your mind would most likely be "How are their tracks going to sound?"

When I first met them at the Esplanade's Baybeats Music Festival last July, Loo Eng Teck described their music as "slightly romantic and melancholic with bittersweet, mature lyrics"

Now, their style has been referenced to as "Art Rock" and even "Alternative Metal". Indeed for their album, I hear more angst and as a result - moodier, heavier sounds which emphasises on drums and ripping of guitars while trying to contemplate and grapple with eternal issues that apply to us all, like the thin lines between right and wrong, truth and lies and the world being fair or unfair.

All in all, bravo for their attempt but with their capability, let's stay tuned for more engaging audio treats and milestones ahead!

Last update: 12-11-2008 06:33

Published in : Profiles, Bands

Keywords : Lunarin, singapore, indie band

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