PopCrush Presents: Luna Shadows

Every week at PopCrush, we’re putting the spotlight on one up-and-coming act you need to know about. Why? So you can get on board early before everyone else and their mother jumps on the bandwagon…and so you can be that one friend in the group who’s always like, “Um, actually, I prefer their earlier work.”

Los Angeles-based indie pop artist Luna Shadows hints at her sound with her expertly-crafted stage name — her specific brand of dreamy, electro-pop acts as an illuminating force, while it's simultaneously tinged with an underlying melancholy. Somehow melding these two dichotomies in a harmonious sonic marriage, Luna Shadows offers the kind of alt-pop best suited for cool summer nights, immediately succeeding your cruelest breakup.

“Waves,” her latest single, kicks off with soft piano and airy vocals, before swirling synths build in magnitude, catapulting it toward electronica territory without ever sacrificing the track's subtle melodrama.

“['Waves'] is a bit of a stern conversation with myself about letting go of sentimentality and forcing myself to be more vulnerable to all things ephemeral...To have experiences without assigning meaning to each of them, or to risk suffering the consequences of attachment,” Luna Shadows said of the song in a press release.

Her previous single "Cherry" single is similarly atmospheric, with shimmering synths and sweet vocals propelling the track to dream-pop status, worthy of repeat listens.

Luna Shadows told PopCrush about her musical journey thus far, saying the road to a fully completed EP is often littered with abandoned songs and experimental sounds that didn't quite pan out.

"The process so far has been a lot of simply just 'staying the course,' which is easier said than done. I've spent the past five years working on songs, throwing them away, feeling like giving up, nearly quitting, and then... pausing and starting over," she told us via e-mail.

"Songs that I thought for sure would be my diving boards ended up just being that little running head start from the grass to the pool. The creative path is filled with a lot of self-doubt, and it's easy to get turned around," she continued. "It often feels like that moment when you're playing a a video game and the screen starts flashing WRONG WAY. What's been most important for me are all the voices in my life (including my own, however quiet) that have told me: no, don't hang it up, stay in motion, you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. Tiny, thoughtful steps, and the patience to see it all through."

Like what you hear? Head over to iTunes to pre-order Luna Shadows' forthcoming EP Summertime, which officially drops on July 1st.

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