A gripping blend of dream-pop and textured shoegaze-touched ’90s alt-rock enamor on “Half Awake,” the latest single from Luna Waves, the Bedford, UK-based project of multi-instrumentalist Rob Muir. The release precedes the project’s fourth album, Comedowns, following up two albums released in 2022. The track itself marks the fourth collaboration between Muir and Chris Corney, who mixed and mastered “Half Awake.”
Befitting of its lush introspection, “Half Awake” takes inspiration from late-night ruminations. Muir describes the track as “about the weird places that the mind can go to when you are unable to sleep and all the memories that drift in and out of your head at 3am!”
“So I lie here,” the vocals begin, capturing the tossing-and-turn of insomnia and the feelings that arise alongside. “Can’t sleep now,” they let out amidst a more soaring quality, showing shades of The Smashing Pumpkins’ lusher efforts. Lyrical observations of “too many memories,” is wholly relatable — channeling the seemingly endless rush of past moments that can flood one’s mind in the early hours.
The two-minute turn continues to excel in the textured guitar work, blissfully accompanying vocals that stir between the “can’t sleep now,” soaring and more subdued introspections. “Half Awake” is a fantastic, dreamy showcase from Luna Waves.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
