Coming together in 2018, Dutch composers Evert Z and Sofia Dragt make up two halves of the whole that is their collaborative musical project Luminar. With their debut single, which was titled ‘Stand Down’ listeners were able to get a taste of Luminar’s dream-pop, indietronica fusion, in what was a soul-soaking, and vast soundscape.
But given that both Evert Z and Sofia Dragt had previously developed their own musical experience, through the solo projects that both artists are still adding to, both members of Luminar were already planning on swiftly building upon their sound following their debut. By the end of 2018, Luminar had already released another two singles, and of course, their debut EP Moving Slow. Bringing their previous three singles together with three completely new ones, Luminar had already fleshed out a clear sense of style and aesthetic.
The following year, nestled nicely between an instrumental version of their debut EP, and a live cover of their debut single, was the track, titled ‘Still Moving On’. While showing an even deeper ambience, this track incorporates more folk inspiration, which should seem like enough to justify the title of ‘Still Moving On’. However, this title ingeniously heralded Luminar next step, which was to create their very first album, which they have titled Go On.
Following the release of ‘Still Moving On’, it would be the year of 2020 that brought us quite a few more teaser tracks from Luminar, in the lead-up to their new album. And while each of them consistently kept to a theme of being as indulgent and atmospheric as possible, they also felt unique enough from one another to diversify Go On upon its release.
But despite listeners being able to get such a clear idea of what to expect from the album, in stylistic and atmospheric terms, Go On brings us four completely new tracks on top of its six chosen teasers. One of those teasers, ‘Alter Ego’, was a track that we thoroughly enjoyed for its gorgeously cosmic atmosphere upon its release. But now serving as the opener for Go On, we were then able to recognise just how good of an opener a track like ‘Alter Ego’ is.
Throughout Go On, Luminar shows a soothing, drifting atmosphere throughout the entirety of the project, which either oozes with electronic luminosity, has a more sombre, acoustic feel, or expertly mixes the two qualities together. This observation can be applied to both their teaser tracks and completely new ones.
If we had to pick a personal favourite from the four new tracks, all of which we enjoyed for their respectively beautiful sounds, we would have to go for ‘Solid Ground’, simply for standing as one of the most unique and memorable points on the album, which is mainly thanks to the beat that it has, which ultimately gives it a slightly more upbeat edge over most of the other, more smoothly paced songs.
But all in all, an incredibly clear sense of evolution in Luminar‘s style is shown in Go On, which stands as more than just your typical album. Thanks to how consistent its layered, ambient, and drifting vibe is across the entirety of its length, Go On is an experience and a gorgeously cosmic one of that.
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