La Luz just released News of the Universe, their fifth album and first for Sub Pop. The band grew out of their “surf rock” pigeonhole long ago and are now just a terrific, lightly psychedelic guitar rock band with baroque and tropical overtones, heavenly harmonies, and just a little of their old beachside twang. Bandleader Shana Cleveland has also grown to become a wonderful songwriter, and News of the Universe is cover-to-cover gems, including “Dandelions,” “Good Luck With Your Secret,” and the trippy “Moon in Reverse.” You can listen to the whole thing below.
Maryam Qudus, who started as News of the Universe‘s producer and ended up joining the band full time, has made us a playlist called “Trips to Outer Space” which features “space / supernatural” themed songs that also influenced the production / recording of News of the Universe. It includes songs by Stereolab, Yanti Bersaudara, Can, Broadcast, Air, and more. Listen to the playlist and read Maryam’s commentary on the songs below.
LA LUZ – “TRIPS TO OUTER SPACE”
Yanti Bersaudara – Gumbira
Yanti Bersaudara is a big influence for the band. The the vocals and harmonies have inspired vocal melody choices for La Luz for many albums. The opening track to News of the Universe called “Reaching Up to the Sun” showcases our love for Yanti.
Can – Moonshake
One of my favorite things about Can is the way the drums and bass interplay with each other. “Moonshake” is a great example of this, and reminds me of the sounds we captured in the studio for News of the Universe.
Air – Sexy Boy
When working on News of the Universe, Lena and I really connected on our love for Air. Some of this influence came through strongly on songs like “I’ll Go With You” and “Poppies”.
Jose Casimiro – Morti Sta Bidjacu
My friend Leyla McCalla shared this album with me, Space Echo: The Mystery Behind the Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde Finally Revealed!, and I can’t stop listening to it. I included this song in this playlist because I had the pleasure of producing Leyla’s latest band, and she and her band will be opening up La Luz’s record release show in Seattle on May 30th.
Stereolab – The Stars Our Destination
Stereolab is a huge influence for me, both sonically and musically. When working on News of the Universe, I really wanted to incorporate Stereolab’s otherworldly sounds into these songs, and also make it fun for listeners when hearing the album on headphones for the first time.
William Onyeabor – Atomic Bomb
I have been obsessed with William Onyeabor for many years now. There is so much I love about his records, but what I love most is the presentation of keyboards and synths. Alice’s performance on News of the Universe really made me think of William Onyeabor, and I tried to saturate and play with the sounds as much as possible every time we tracked a synthesizer.
Broadcast – Echo’s Answer
In past La Luz records, the vocals are drenched in reverb – a very cool signature sound for the band. This is how I imagined we’d approach vocals for this record as well, but when we were tracking Strange World, Shana was recording a scratch vocal and it was completely dry. I loved the way her voice sounded so close and intimate, and this made me want to push for a slightly tighter vocal sound overall. When mixing the record, I was thinking about Trish Keenan’s vocals – close and slightly saturated, with a touch of reverb and delay. Magical!
La Luz play a record release show tonight (5/30) in Seattle and start their North American tour on September 26 in Chicago. It hits Brooklyn at Elsewhere Hall on October 9. All dates are listed below.
La Luz – 2024 tour dates
05/30 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile (Record Release Show)
07/27 Portland, OR @ Project Pabst
08/30 Brighton, UK @ Brighton Psych Fest
08/31 Manchester, UK @ Manchester Psych Fest
09/01 Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh Psych Fest
09/03 Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew
09/05 Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
09/06 Sart-Messire-Guillaume, BE @ SMG Music Fest
09/07 Asten-Heusden, NL @ Misty Fields Festival
09/08 Amsterdam, NL @ Indiestadt x Sugar Mountain @ Paradiso
09/10 Cologne, DE @ Bumann & SOHN
09/11 Hamburg, DE @ Prinzenbar
09/12 Berlin, DE @ Badehaus
09/13 Schorndorf, DE @ Manufaktur
09/14 Zürich, DE @ Bogen
09/26 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
09/27 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
09/28 St. Paul, MM @ Turf Club
09/30 St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill
10/01 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
10/02 Nashville, TN @ The End
10/03 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Purgatory
10/04 Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/05 Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
10/06 Washington, DC @ The Atlantis
10/08 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
10/09 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere – Hall
10/10 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/11 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
10/12 Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall
10/13 Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
10/28 Denver, CO @ Marquis
10/30 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/31 Boise, ID @ The Olympic
11/03 Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
11/06 Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
11/07 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
11/08 Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
11/09 Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room