Ah the vagaries of language.
When Alba Lua's new EP dropped on my desk, ears pricked up. 'Alba' is the Gaelic for Scotland, so it this a band of punk outcasts from the Western Isles?
Alas no. Alba Lua hail from the unfashionable (in music terms) French town of Bordeux. The name is actually a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese, reflecting the multi-national line up in the group.
A trio, the band trooped along to Primavera last year. Inspired by what they saw, Alba Lua settled into a recording studio to work on their debut EP. Produced by New York born David Bianchi, the result is an affecting slice of songwriting.
'The Ballad Of Joseph Merrick' is inspired by the plight of the poor Victorian Englishman, whose rare skin deformities blighted his life. Containing three tracks the EP is a brave first blast from the French outfit, moving from indie rock to psychedelic inspired freak outs.
Available today (June 28th) Alba Lua's debut EP will be released through record label Satellite Of Love. To celebrate, ClashMusic have grabbed the dreamy Syd Barrett inspired pop of 'Sungaze'.
Listen to it now... Download it HERE.