Given the vast capabilities across the entire spectrum that rock music has to boast, it’s only natural that we’ve seen the genre twisted and contorted into all sorts of different shapes over the decades, and while such innovation and against-the-grain songwriting has a time and place, there are few things that can compare to something straightforward done right. It’s oftentimes from unexpected sources that excellence from such an approach can be found. When I first came upon Lunar Ruins, I admittedly wasn’t expecting much, but it’s now that I’ve come to realize the splendor that’s being dished out with this worthwhile effort from a rising name.
Even a little bit in the right areas can make for quite a difference in any performance. It’s not terribly often anymore, at least in my experience, that the world of grunge is given really any sort of proper representation that is then built upon in such a way that really capitalizes on what the sound can still become even if many of us would consider the heyday of the genre to be decades behind us. Yet, like all sounds, all it takes are the right disciples in order to keep those old teachings alive, and it’s throughout the whole of “The Expanse” that Lunar Ruin manages to channel their grunge influences to tremendous effect without compromising their own sound and personality in the process. With a vibe that feels as though it was born straight out of a garage during jam sessions between friends, there’s a rough sound to this grunge-laced, stoner-inspired rock that adds a sense of authenticity to the material, allowing an admittedly unassuming work to take on an aura that grabs your very being and throws you into the deep end with naught to be had but a damn good time. Apt in its riffs and more than capable of delivering the goods through smooth vocals, tight songwriting, and a solid production, “The Expanse” is far from the work that is sure to blow the minds of many who come before it, but the work is indicative of what’s still to be had throughout the underground.
Playing for only themselves and having a damn good time at doing it, Lunar Ruins didn’t set out to create something that redefines their sound nor blows the competition out of the water. Rather, it’s through passion and a drive to make their own mark upon the genre that “The Expanse” takes a respectable form that is able to firmly stand on its own two feet and offer listeners a smooth performance that delivers on several fronts with the end-result of the album’s closing being nothing less than a damn good time being had.
LISTEN to “The Expanse” on Bandcamp here.
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