"Built to last, born to evolve: Why Luna Kiss still feels like something new"
(Artist Report)
Written by: Tina Voigt
For Luna Kiss, longevity has never meant standing still. The Midlands alternative-rock band have spent more than a decade growing together, taking on new challenges and exploring different sides of their sound. Today, the core trio of Wil Russell on vocals and guitar, Chris Butler on guitar and James Pedley on drums are once again moving forward, with another full-length record currently taking shape.
The band’s story reaches back to their first album, Echoes of Sound, released in 2011. Wil, Chris and James were already part of Luna Kiss during those early years, making the record an early snapshot of a band that would continue to evolve together across very different stages of its history.
Their second album, Following Shadows, arrived in 2018 and marked another clear step in that development. Wil described the record to Soundwave Music Media as blending “a more classic rock influence with a contemporary sound,” with tracks such as “You Are” and “Following Shadows” showcasing the band’s ability to create infectious melodies. Rather than staying tied to the sound of their debut, Luna Kiss continued to explore what the band could become.
That versatility became even clearer with the 2022 EP Lust for Blood. Wil described the release as “bridging the gap between mainstream and underground rock,” while still delivering “catchy hooks and sing-along choruses.” It marked another shift in direction, showing a band comfortable moving between accessible alternative rock and heavier, more experimental territory.
Following a four-year hiatus and changes around the line-up, Luna Kiss began working on their next album in February 2026. The band are currently in the studio with producer Matt Terry, approaching the new material with what Wil described as “new hunger, drive, and creative ambition.” Once again, the focus is not on simply recreating what Luna Kiss have done before.
Instead, the band are aiming for a record that feels completely immersive. Wil told Soundwave Music Media that Luna Kiss have been intensely focused on creating an album that feels “immersive from start to finish”, taking listeners “out of this world, and into a place where the day-to-day chaos of life can be set aside for a little while.” A release date has not yet been announced, but the direction already suggests another distinct chapter in the band’s evolution.
Their return is already extending beyond the studio. Luna Kiss took to the stage again in August at Dementia Aware Festival at The Arches in Coventry, marking another step forward after their hiatus. For a band whose catalogue now stretches from Echoes of Sound to Following Shadows, Lust for Blood and the material currently being written, each era offers a different view of the same creative core.
Perhaps that is what makes Luna Kiss stand out most in 2026. Wil, Chris and James have spent years creating together without allowing longevity to turn into repetition. From their first album in 2011 to Following Shadows, the heavier and more experimental direction of Lust for Blood, and now another new sound beginning to take shape, they have continued to challenge themselves while keeping the same core of the band intact. And that’s exactly what alternative rock needs more of in 2026.
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Written By: Tina Voigt
(Report)
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1st photo by Will Russell
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