Luna Marble – Debut Album | Progressive Rock Central.com

2025 has been a magical year of new releases with an overabundance of new bands to review. Every time I think this will be the last new band I think is amazing, another one follows. And so it was when I listened to the music of Luna Marble’s Debut album.

Imagine seeing a lead singer who looks like Kate Bush sing the blues. That blew me away. Then, I compared some of Kate’s interviews with Maria Rico, the lead singer of Luna Marble, and again I was blown away. They almost talk like identical sisters. So, that was my first impression of Luna Marble. Then, I began listening to the sound of their music and I heard so much power. Just like my favorite blues band of the 2020s Siena Root. I am telling you there was nothing that would stop me from reviewing this album. Thankfully the band obliged and sent me the MP3s.

Now, this Manchester, UK band has their debut album, released November 7^th of this year; and it is available for everyone to hear. The band, in their press release states, about their debut: “While this album wasn’t born with a specific intention. For us it represents the early days of Luna Marble — a snapshot of where it all began. These songs are among the very first we ever wrote together as a band. We recorded this album the way we first experienced these songs: the four of us in a room, playing together, feeding off each other’s energy. That live connection — raw, unpredictable, and magical — is what we’ve tried to capture here. This collection reflects our journey: from drawing inspiration from our heroes, to
shaping our own sound gig after gig. It’s about growing together, honing our craft,
and developing the tight bond — musical and personal, developing that internal
metronome that keeps us together. Each track has its own character, yet they all live within the same Luna Marble universe. We wanted this album to show the different shades of who we are — and lay the foundation for everything still to come. This project is a true labor of love, proudly done independently while embracing every D.I.Y aspect of the process. Enjoy a remix and remaster version of our previously released singles and embark yourself on the new wonders of `Crazy Loving’, `Waves’, `So Long’, and a special live acoustic version of `Mad World’.

Love how this band defined their initial album. The message above makes Luna Marble even more original and authentic. So, who are the incredible musicians that make up Luna Marble? Maria Rico, is the lead vocalist; Dragos Colceriu, plays lead guitars; David Grundy, plays bass; and Sean Stewart, plays drums on the album. Their music and the sonic direction of the new album fits well within the classic rock genres of the blues and psychedelic rock with touches of grunge and pop.

This debut album opens with a lead blues guitar solo that would put a grin on the face of Stevie Ray Vaughan. “Running,” is a song about resilience, personal empowerment, and breaking free from anything that tries to hold you back. It was the first song the band recorded together back in 2021 and it represents the spark that started the journey of their debut album and made their first statement as a band. Maria Rico brings hope to the power of this song with her brilliant vocals. But this song is Dragos Colceriu’s clear showcase of guitar expertise. Over 5 minutes of classic blues rock sung with immense emotion.

“All of My Love,” is unfortunately not a cover of the Led Zeppelin classic by a similar name. It is another early song from the band. This one has more of a Siena Root sound to it. It would be so great to get Maria Rico and Zubaida Solid together some day. The story is the recurring tension between pain and longing from a toxic relationship. Maria emotively brings home the power and wrenching feeling of the song, surrounded by Dragos Colceriu’s blistering guitar licks.

“Crazy Loving,” is one of the first songs that Maria wrote at the age of 18. It was one of those songs that wrote itself. Where the meaning was unknown to Maria at the time but the lyrics seemed to flow to the page as an unconscious reflection of that moment in time. “Crazy Loving,” talks about those early insecurities that you have growing up. About who you are and about finding comfort in other people and relationships. She sings it with such sincerity you have no choice but to be drawn into its rhythm with feeling. She was way ahead of her time. An old soul, they say. A slower, deep feeling, blues track, with a cutting-edge guitar solo from Dragos Colceriu.

“So Long,” is about the struggle of trying to juggle the duties of the band in order to keep moving it forward whilst working your regular 9 to 5 to pay the bills. It captures a sense of exhaustion, disillusionment, and quiet emotional resignation. It is a reflection on the grind of everyday life and how chasing responsibilities can slowly drain your spirit and push dreams aside. Once again, this song is a Maria Rico showcase, and her soft but gritty voice. David Grundy also performs a great bass solo on this song.

“Sea of Love,” is not a cover of the Robert Plant Honeydripper’s classic. In fact, this song has more of a Doors feeling at the beginning. A like “Moonlight Drive.” The song explores the struggle of being stuck in the wrong place and wanting to take matters into your hands to reclaim one’s identity. While the choruses are uplifting, they also express the difficulty of finding yourself lost in the process.

“Redemption,” talks about giving in to love and embracing the experience. Finding freedom in doing so and the way that love can feel both like a wild journey and a kind of spiritual redemption. One of Maria Rico’s best vocal performances on the album. She carries this one almost single-handedly, with passion and authenticity. Her vocal performance proves that she has been there and returned!

The lyrics to “The Ride,” are rather philosophical in nature, creating contrast with probably the lightest song musically on the album. They refer to the fluid and ever-changing nature of life which ‘comes on its own.’ Life happens all by itself and, like a river, it is ever changing. A short, just over 2-minute blast, but very powerful and affective.

“Begging Mercy,” opens with one of Maria Rico’s slow delivered vocal stories set to emotive lyrics. The song moves from subjugation to rebellion and ultimately, liberation. Lyrically the song mixes themes of lust and religion. Inspired by Maria’s upbringing in a Catholic school, she thought it would be interesting to write a song that is a juxtaposition of Catholic practices and lust, to bring tension into the narrative. Objective achieved!

“Waves,” was inspired by a quote from one of Dragos’ favorite poems (Mihai Eminescu’s “Glossă”). Maria sings, “I tell my secrets to the ocean. The waves do roll into my thoughts. What’s a wave will wave away.” Maria’s upbringing by the sea side, makes this a love letter to the comfort that Maria finds in the ocean. It’s a poetic meditation on surrender, transformation, and emotional resilience, using the ocean as a metaphor for the unconscious, change, and the healing (but dangerous), power of nature and emotion. Maria softly sings, “Hold on to the tide. The shore will rise. Fade into the night.” The song’s closing, makes this feel like this may have been the original album closer.

“Mad World,” is not a cover of the Tears for Fears classic. This album closer opens epically with soft piano, instead of guitar. Maria sings this one softly and with authority. The song was born from a series of Maria’s frustrations and hardships about getting into the music scene at the age of 18. Maria wanted to share her fiery passion about rock music with other musicians and with the public. However, the journey was not easy, as she encountered the lack of trust and validation that young women in the music industry so often receive. So it is an anthem of resilience, passion, and defiance in the face of a broken world. It’s about holding onto what truly matters — your passion, your dreams, your identity — even when everything around you seems designed to discourage, or defeat you. The acoustic and electric guitar performance really solidifies this as an epic closer. However, this is Maria Rico’s song and she sings it with authority and authenticity, until the end.

Luna Marble’s Debut Album is a perfect beginning chapter for the story of this band. Two powerful performers lead this marvelous new band, and they are Maria Rico, with that undeniable voice; and Dragos Colceriu, with that amazing lead guitar. But you can tell this band is a strong and friendly unit. David Grundy, on bass; and Sean Stewart, on drums, are essential to the sound of Luna Marble. You can feel the band’s kinship in their music and the sincerity of their sound. This is a spectacular debut album and I would recommend it to anyone. I just hope I can get a copy of the CD before the years end. I will hopefully be interviewing them before the end of the year, as well. Get Luna Marble’s Debut Album, and share some authentic blues music, like it used to sound when Stevie Ray Vaughan was still playing.

TOUR DATES:

3rd of October – Manchester Academy 3 Album Launch

10th of October – The Tivoli (Buckley, Wales) – Supporting Beth Blade

11th of October – The Pub (Lancaster) as part of their day festival (inside stage 7:30 start)

18th of October – The Giffard Arms (Wolverhampton) – Supporting Beth Blade

19th of October – Manchester Blues Festival – The Carlton Club