Ava Luna 2013 promo 1

Sometimes we come across a band so creative, whimsical and innovative that no matter what they do, they'll never fail to entertain us. Our latest video interview is proof of that as we introduce Brooklyn 5-piece Ava Luna.

We are going to be seeing a lot more of this edgy, punk/soul band as they embark on their Europe and UK tour later this month, having only recently come off their US stint alongside Boston trio Krill. They have rather an impressive tour history, having performed alongside Toro y Moi, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Twin Sister and Sharon Van Etten in the past, and it's no wonder following the release of their incredible, highly praised debut album 'Ice Level'. Ava Luna started out as a one-man band, i.e. just frontman Carlos Hernandez, who would write and record songs in his bedroom before he 'met people and they decided to play music with [him]'.

Watch the video interview here:

'Electric Balloon' is album two, released in March 2014, and marks a creative turn for Ava Luna in that Carlos has made sure that it is more of a collective project. He teamed up with co-band member Julian Fader on the recording of the album over two weeks in New York and the result is an even more diverse collection of songs than their debut. 'Electric Balloon' was later mixed by the talented, four-time Grammy winning Jimmy Douglass who has previously worked with music legends such as Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.

Ava Luna 2013 promo 2

Stand out tracks from the album include the soulful, retro chill-out tune of 'PRPL', and 'Daydream' which has more of a punk edge with its dirty guitars, expressive vocals and trippy composition - a testament to their diverse, multi-genre aesthetic. It's not unexpected for 'Electric Balloon' to have such a unique twist at every turn given the huge range of influences they have in their music-making - indeed, they were so eager to list all their inspirations in our video interview, that the only artist we could actually make out over the din was Desmond Dekker.

Listen to 'PRPL' here:

The chemistry between the members of Ava Luna - Carlos, Julian, Felicia, Ethan and Becca - is infectious and it truly feels like a family. 'We all lived in a house for a couple of weeks during the writing and recording', explained Julian. 'Our bassist Ethan would cook us the most horrifying, cheese-filled macaroni butter things and the album is really slow now.'

Listen to 'Daydream' here:

Ava Luna will no doubt be performing some electrifying live shows over the coming weeks this Spring, with dates in France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and the UK. Though that's more than enough to look forward to, we're hoping that we'll be hearing a little more from them over the rest of 2014.

Ava Luna 2013 promo 3

Tour dates:
April
22nd - Ubu, Rennes FR
23rd - Printemps de Bourges FR
24th - I Boat, Bordeaux FR
25th - A'ronef Belle sortie, Wicres FR
26th - The Harley, Sheffield UK
27th - Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester UK 
28th - Birthdays, London UK
29th - Espace B, Paris FR
May
1st - Muziek o-droom, Hasselt BE
2nd - Gr_ner Salon, Berlin DE
3rd - Beatpol, Dresden DE
5th - Molotow, Hamburg DE
6th - Rust, Copenhagen DK