THE LUKA STATE More Than This | Energy and harshness
The powerful alternative rock sound of the British band The Luka State is back with ‘More Than This‘, a second album that shows a high degree of maturity. Social criticism, substance abuse, mental health or the traumas that accompany Conrad Ellis, the vocalist, are some of the main driving forces of their new album.
Reading Time | 3 min
Listening Time | 10 min
THE LUKA STATE Tigthrope
The Luka State More Than This | Story behind
The British band is back stronger than ever on 2023 with raw lyrics that speak of a world in turmoil.
- The Luka State singer Ellis wrote this album during the pandemic, creating a more mature and powerful sound than their debut album.
- Music was his way of escape.
More Than This was recorded almost entirely in a small Liverpool recording studio, The Motor Museum. There they managed to convey that sense of claustrophobia that was evident during the confinement and which they wanted to transfer to the album.
The album opens with Bring Us Down, a declaration of intent that the boys are not going to give up, no matter how hard life could be.
We want it so much
We keep our guard up
We’re done with tough love
But we won’t let you bring us down
The album continues with Oxygen Thief, a rocking track in which Ellis talks about a person who took away his mental health at one point in his life – a real treat!
Losing Streak is the most significant theme for Ellis, as it deals with his own personal experience with drugs 💊
If I hand you the scissorsIs it my fault you cut me offMy losing streaks more frequentMy head if falling over and over, over and over
Two Worlds Apart and Matter of Fact are also dedicated to lost souls and to love, because we all need a hug at some point.
Writing ‘More Than This’ was about sharing some of our experiences as people, as friends and as human beings. What we’ve been through in the pandemic and after.
Conrad Ellis
With a ferocious rhythm, More Than This, the title track, is about hunger in the UK and about those families that the system does not support.
- It is a personal song, as the band’s vocalist was a volunteer at a food bank during the pandemic.
Stick Around references again to mental health and how one can get out of a slump.
With the groundbreaking Tightrope they break free from the chains that bind them and choose to live their lives and fight for what they want without fear. In a similar vein to Stick Around we come to Swimming Backwards, where mental health is once again the protagonist.
I guess I feel tired and I’m so scaredWhat the future holdsI wanna be apart of youAll I want is you
We reach almost the end of this album with Metamorphosis, a song about love and the mark it leaves on us. From love we move on to the heartbreak of disloyal friendship in Change.
More Than This concludes with Movies, another song about love that serves as the perfect finale to this fantastic album that signifies a great leap forward for The Luka State.
The Luka State (Facebook Image)
Who is The Luka State?
The Luka State is a British band born in Winsford, an almost forgotten town between the big cities of Manchester and Liverpool.
- Since its beginnings, this alternative and indie rock band has been composed by four members: Conrad Ellis, lead singer and guitarist, Sam Bell, bassist and backing vocalist, Jake Barnabas, on drums, and Lewis Pusey, guitarist.
They have known each other since they were kids, so much so that at the age of 12 they started getting together to make music, with Green Day as their main inspiration.
- They released their first albums between 2012 and 2013, while still in their teens.
It wasn’t until 2017 when they started working on their first studio album, Fall In Fall Out, after successful singles like Matter of Time or Rain.
- The album would not see the light of day until 2021, financed by themselves 💷
In 2023, they returned with more energy and maturity than ever with More Than This.
