LUMER are a Yorskshire-based, post-punk four piece. In the years since forming, LUMER have worked to single out the flaws of our broken, modern-day society. Their music echoes the likes of post-punk forefathers The Fall through gritty, razor-sharp observations that speak out against corrupt world leaders and online social pressures. Lead singer Alex Evans has even worked with renowned fashion brand Cèline and was invited to model for an exclusive high-profile shoot earlier this year. Now, the band’s latest work exhibits them at their most direct and intriguing yet.
The Disappearing Act is LUMER’s debut EP and provides a coherent collection of a number of the band’s previously released singles over 2020 such as “By Her Teeth” and “The Sheets.” The array of themes explored in the EP is inherently observant, as Evans explains in a press release: “The entire writing process felt incredibly easy. It takes, whoever can be bothered to listen, down a bitter road of different experiences and what we despise in the world. It talks of love, hate, hope and death, and ultimately the personal things that affects the majority of people’s lives.”
Writing the EP may have felt easy for the young band, and there’s an air of confidence that exudes in their music that’s both sharp and gritty. Opening track “She’s Innocent” moans with eerie, megaphone-style vocals and Tarantino-esque guitars to begin with before picking up the dynamic and laying down curtly provoking lyrics: “Everybody needs a bit of affection… / Magazines give a false sense of complexion / Shame, that we have to seek perfection.”
The EP’s title track follows from this, brimming with guitar feedback and blues-like licks with a more morose delivery. “White Tsar,” the EP’s third track, is undoubtedly the star of the show. Confident guitar chops are matched with wild, shouted vocals, which harken back to the likes of fellow northern English contemporaries The Blinders as well as noisy Swedes Viagra Boys. Taking influence from Russia’s infamously deadly royal history, the band depict the inner workings of tyrannical, power-hungry leaders through the ages as they follow onto “First Is Too Late,” which flows with unrelenting pace.
“By Her Teeth” offers a very assured vocal performance. Its catchy melody stands apart from the otherwise spoken-word delivery found elsewhere on the EP and the track’s accompanying bass line reminisces with a gnarly, Stranglers tone.
The EP rounds off proceedings with broken hearts on “The Sheets” before “Another Day at the Zoo” harnesses chugging guitars and slap-delayed vocals that give off a sulky, rock ‘n’ roll vibe.
Dark, vocal, and unrelenting, LUMER have set a solid precedent for themselves with The Disappearing Act which paves the groundwork for an optimistic road ahead going into 2021.