Lunar Isles is the hazy indie pop project of Scottish musician David Skimming who’s most recent album “After Dark” is absolutely phenomenal.
I caught up with David to talk about his early musical experiences, how he started playing music and the making of the new record.
CMM-What was the first music that really made an impact on you as a kid and what artists or bands did you enjoy the most?
David-Growing up, there was always a lot of rock and new wave stuff that my parents liked on in the background. I think bands like The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen and The Clash are probably some of the most memorable early influences that I still love hearing today. Nirvana were probably the band that inspired me to learn to play the guitar while Bloc Party’s ‘Silent Alarm’ was an album that I remember playing throughout my teenage years and ripping off when I started writing songs in bands.
CMM-When did you first start playing music and writing your own songs?
David-On and off, I’ve been writing songs since I was 15. I remember having a copy of Cubase as a teenager and spending hours messing around with it. I’d also write songs with bands throughout high school and university but then took a break from music when I first moved to Korea in 2013. It wasn’t until 2020 and the extra time at home during covid times that I started making music again and those songs eventually turned into the first Lunar Isles album.
CMM-Your new album “After Dark” is fantastic. What was the writing and recording process for those songs like? Any particular gear or instruments you used during the recording sessions that helped inspire you?
David-Thank you! I approached this album slightly differently from previous ones in that I wanted to explore a more electronic sound. There are some earlier tracks like ‘After Sun’ and ‘Echo Peak’ which probably fit the sound of ‘After Dark’ but I really wanted to experiment with new sounds more while still making something cohesive. A big part of this was starting with the synth riffs or chords instead of reaching for the guitar like I’d previously done before. I also got my hands on a Roland SP-404 last year with the intention of using it for live shows but I enjoyed using it for sampling so much that I think it really helped with writing the songs from a different angle that focused less on the pop elements that I’d previously obsessed over.
CMM-If you could score any film director’s movie who would it be and what would the film be about?
David-Love this question! Film inspires my music in a big way and I often like to think of it being used as a soundtrack when I’m writing songs. It’d be a toss up between David Lynch and Park Chan-Wook but I’ll go with Park since he’s still alive and could potentially make it? ‘Decision to Leave’ is one of my all-time favourites and influenced some of the lyrics on my third album. So maybe the film would be similar to that – centered around a doomed romance with lots of dream scenes and set by the sea. I think that matches the vibe or themes of my own work pretty well actually.
CMM-What’s the underground music scene like in Scotland these days? Any other bands you recommend checking out?
David-Well I only just moved back to Scotland last month so I’ll have to be honest and say that I don’t know it too well right now. However, I did meet fellow Scottish dreampoppers Swiss Portrait and Community Swimming Pool at a gig a few years back and I love the music they’ve put out. Theo Bleak’s last record is one I’ve listened to a lot so I’m hoping to catch one of her shows in Glasgow soon too. I’d also recommend a couple of artists I played at gigs with in Seoul – Oh Heejung, who makes really intricate, ethereal, loop-based music reminiscent of Bjork, and Post Inner Circle, who have an Amnesiac-era Radiohead take on shoegaze.
CMM-What do you have coming up next?
David-I have my first show in Scotland as Lunar Isles coming up in Edinburgh at Home Bar on May 3rd which I’m really excited about. It feels a bit like a homecoming so the venue name is very apt. I’m also hoping to get some more shows throughout the UK organised once I’ve settled properly. In terms of recording, I’ve started laying down some demos but still settling on the direction of whatever the next release is. I have a feeling it will probably be more ‘live’ sounding than ‘After Dark’ but the journey in terms of sound and concept is still very much in the early stages.
