Soulful disco & electro pop in Luna Soul’s debut album ‘First Move’
First Move is the debut album from Luna Soul, founded by German-Spanish duo Lisa Michèle Lietz and Jordi Arnau Rubio.
Lisa Michèle Lietz comes from Schwerin, learned the guitar from Ernst Ulrich Deuker, the bassist of German NDW heroes Ideal, and is a studied musicologist. Jordi Arnau Rubio was born in Barcelona. He left Spain as a teenager to work as a professional dancer throughout Europe. As a composer, Rubio draws inspiration from blues, jazz, soul and funk. They started Luna Soul in 2019 and have since toured extensively through Germany, Spain and France.
The 10 songs that compose First Move carry the energy of countless live performances and were composed with sensitivity by Lietz and Rubio. Joel Sarakula, Daniel Fell and Paul Milne co-worked as songwriters on some of the songs. Sarakula also took over the production and gave the album its finishing touches.
Opener “Grow” is a heartfelt ode to resilience and self-discovery, before “No Way Home” paves the way to the dance floor with subtly interwoven funk and celebrates freedom and carefree joie de vivre. First single “1979” gives the album a Mediterranean touch with the Spanish guitar providing an authentic and refreshing sound.
With “Lights Out” and “City Lights”, the album delves deeper into the 1970s with a mood of nostalgia, optimism and urban promise: “The nighttime city skyline is a great metaphor for navigating through emotions when composing”, Lietz and Rubio explain. “In our loneliness, we don’t walk alone” it says in “City Lights”: “We firmly believe that in moments of pain and coping with loss there are silent, invisible connections that carry us along, especially in challenging life situations, and provide a grounding. They provide support and hope in our increasingly digitalized world”.
“Take yourself higher, you know you gotta do it” – that’s the powerful message in “Hold On”, the appropriate opener on the second side of the vinyl LP. With “Winterdance” and “Obvious” the album effortlessly glides through the sound aesthetics of the late 70s and early 80s.
“Just For Us Tonight” and “One More Night” finally sum up Lietz and Rubio’s central credo: “It’s about surrendering to the fascination of the moment”, explain Luna Soul, “finding comfort in the midst of chaos and to celebrate those fleeting sparks of interpersonal connection that drive us and make us alive”.
‘First Move’ out on LP / CD / Digital on Apr. 11th 2025 via Légère Recordings
