Following a successful string of releases over the year so far, indie collective Tora Luna unveil their debut EP ‘Springtide Moonride‘ on July 18th—a five-track manifesto that celebrates musical collaboration and human authenticity in an increasingly AI-perfected world.
At its core, Tora Luna is the creative partnership of Alex Broadgate and Dominic Johnson, but their vision extends far beyond a traditional duo. They’ve crafted something more intriguing: a fluid musical collective where talented musicians drift in and out, each leaving their unique imprint. “The main idea behind the Tora Luna project is that it’s collaborative and everyone feels like they can bring their own voice and influence wherever involved,” they explain. This approach allows the project to shape-shift across musical landscapes—one track might emerge drenched in shimmering jangle pop, while another dives deep into surf rock’s reverb-soaked waters, only to resurface with chamber pop orchestration.
‘Springtide Moonride’ features four different lead vocalists across its tracks: Dominic Johnson, ANELIE bringing dark pop influence to ‘Venus, Temptress’, Deslynn Smith creating a powerful dialogue with Dominic Johnson on ‘Why Wouldn’t You Say So?’, and Romy Deighton as the only vocalist on ‘I’d Forgive You In A Heartbeat, But I Can’t Forgive Myself’. The collaborative spirit extends further with Ellie Parker as writer, arranger and performer on ‘Why Wouldn’t You Say So?’ and Josh Kime as writer and performer on ‘I’d Forgive You In A Heartbeat, But I Can’t Forgive Myself’. The band’s sound draws from an eclectic mix of influences spanning The Beach Boys, Vampire Weekend, Mac DeMarco, Father John Misty, and Bombay Bicycle Club, resulting in a genre-fluid approach that touches on indie rock, jangle pop, surf rock, and chamber pop, all unified by producer Gus White‘s expert touch at his countryside barn studio, The Barn.
“We didn’t put any pressure on ourselves for it to tell a consistent story,” explains Alex Broadgate. “If anything, there’s a completely different character singing in each song. We had a lot of fun giving each song its own personality and letting it take whatever direction felt most natural.” This deliberate approach to freedom allows each track to develop its own distinct personality while maintaining sonic cohesion through White’s production.
A standout amongst the collection is the EP’s focus track ‘Olive Branch’ that perhaps best exemplifies Tora Luna’s musical ambition and playfulness. Unlike the more collaborative tracks on the EP, ‘Olive Branch’ was crafted by just Alex, Dom and producer Gus White. Originally conceived as a cross between Blur’s ‘Tracy Jacks’, AC/DC’s ‘Highway To Hell’, and Vampire Weekend tracks like ‘Taxi Cab’, the song evolved into something uniquely their own while retaining clear Vampire Weekend influence. The track features an unreliable narrator—a self-centered character who perpetually expects forgiveness—creating a bitter lyrical edge against the song’s jangly surface. What began as an attempt at simplicity transformed into the EP’s most musically complex piece, featuring sneaky time signature changes and folk-inspired melodies. The song captures the playfulness that became a consistent theme across the EP, taking that idea to the extreme especially with the instrumental section towards the end which evokes a “traditional folk melody crossed with a Vampire Weekend piano sound and a score from a Wes Anderson film” Alex adds, “It has the exact frantic energy and, at times, chaos that I’d hoped to create and it’s so much fun to play live.” Despite a challenging recording process that saw the band scrap an entire morning’s work, they pushed through to create what Alex considers his favourite track on the entire EP.
What sets ‘Springtide Moonride’ apart is its refreshingly organic recording approach. All five tracks were captured with core instruments recorded in one continuous live take without a click track, creating an authentic, in-the-moment quality that captures the spontaneous energy of the collective’s creative process. The instrumentation was shaped by whatever was available in White’s barn studio, creating natural constraints that fostered creativity rather than limitation.
The collaborative ethos extends to their songwriting inspiration. “We’re just writing about things that are going on in our lives, or things that we overhear people talking about on the tube,” Alex notes. “We’re not trying to make any huge political statement. Just to make music that sounds fun and encourages people to be a bit kinder to themselves and each other. I honestly think that’s missing in a lot of new music I hear at the minute.”
The title ‘Springtide Moonride’ was chosen after extensive group deliberation, beating out contenders like “The Florist’s Sketchbook” and “Mood Based Listening.” The final choice perfectly reflects the band’s aesthetic—music that is simultaneously bright and uplifting while remaining dreamy and slightly psychedelic. It’s the sound of Alternative Rock slow dancing with Beach Boys harmonies, where every collaboration adds another layer to an already rich tapestry.
In Tora Luna’s world, consistency comes not from rigid adherence to formula but from the shared DNA of creativity, kindness, and the radical act of making music that feels like stumbling into a secret party where genres mingle freely and everyone’s invited to contribute their voice.
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