Biography
Emerging from the mining community of Winsford in Cheshire during 2013, the Luka State established themselves as a British indie rock outfit distinguished by their robust guitar-driven sound and melodies that combined catchiness with intensity. Their initial breakthrough arrived via the track “30 Minute Break.” A personnel shift behind the drum kit aligned with an evolution in approach, as keyboard textures began threading through the guitar-centric framework on the 2015 EP The Price of Education. Additional singles continued to surface until the 2018 release “Feel It” generated further attention, followed by the full-length debut Fall In Fall Out in early 2021. Their second album, More Than This, captured a strained and uneasy atmosphere born amid the COVID-19 pandemic and appeared in 2023.
The Luka State formed in Winsford, Cheshire, a Northwest England settlement positioned between Liverpool and Manchester. While the locale is primarily recognized for salt extraction, proximity to two musically renowned cities prompted the quartet to begin creating music during their early teenage years, coalescing as a band in 2012. Conrad Ellis handled guitar and lead vocals, Lewis Pusey played lead guitar, Sam Bell managed bass and backing vocals, and Jess Whitmore occupied the drum seat. In 2013 Sam Williams—who had earlier supported Supergrass—noticed the group and oversaw recording of three songs: “Matter of Time,” “30 Minute Break,” and “Rain.” Project Records issued the first two on a double-A-side vinyl single that year, after which “30 Minute Break” gained widespread online traction, aided by a video starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, known for his portrayal of Jojen Reed on Game of Thrones.
Whitmore departed in 2014; Jake Barnabas joined on drums, prompting the Luka State to incorporate more keyboards while retaining guitar emphasis. The year 2015 proved active, yielding the seven-track EP The Price of Education plus the extracted singles “Can't Help Myself” and “The Believer,” the latter featuring a cover of the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” on its B-side. Three further tracks arrived in 2017—“Lies! Lies! Lies!,” “Bring This All Together,” and “Bold.” Propaganda Records’ singles club released “Feel It” in 2018, earning favorable notices and strong streaming numbers; two additional songs, “Bury Me” and “Kick in the Teeth,” followed before year’s end.
The band then concentrated on their debut album, tracking in London under producer Jamie Evans. Although self-release was initially planned, Anti-Fragile Records secured U.S. distribution while Shelter Music, through BMG, arranged the European edition. Fall In Fall Out eventually surfaced in January 2021 during ongoing pandemic restrictions that curtailed touring. Confined at home, the members focused on material for a follow-up that reflected lockdown-induced claustrophobia and unease. They chose a compact Liverpool studio to heighten the palpable tension, with Dan Austin and Adrian Bushby producing. The Luka State issued More Than This themselves, engaging Thirty Tigers for distribution.
The Luka State formed in Winsford, Cheshire, a Northwest England settlement positioned between Liverpool and Manchester. While the locale is primarily recognized for salt extraction, proximity to two musically renowned cities prompted the quartet to begin creating music during their early teenage years, coalescing as a band in 2012. Conrad Ellis handled guitar and lead vocals, Lewis Pusey played lead guitar, Sam Bell managed bass and backing vocals, and Jess Whitmore occupied the drum seat. In 2013 Sam Williams—who had earlier supported Supergrass—noticed the group and oversaw recording of three songs: “Matter of Time,” “30 Minute Break,” and “Rain.” Project Records issued the first two on a double-A-side vinyl single that year, after which “30 Minute Break” gained widespread online traction, aided by a video starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, known for his portrayal of Jojen Reed on Game of Thrones.
Whitmore departed in 2014; Jake Barnabas joined on drums, prompting the Luka State to incorporate more keyboards while retaining guitar emphasis. The year 2015 proved active, yielding the seven-track EP The Price of Education plus the extracted singles “Can't Help Myself” and “The Believer,” the latter featuring a cover of the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” on its B-side. Three further tracks arrived in 2017—“Lies! Lies! Lies!,” “Bring This All Together,” and “Bold.” Propaganda Records’ singles club released “Feel It” in 2018, earning favorable notices and strong streaming numbers; two additional songs, “Bury Me” and “Kick in the Teeth,” followed before year’s end.
The band then concentrated on their debut album, tracking in London under producer Jamie Evans. Although self-release was initially planned, Anti-Fragile Records secured U.S. distribution while Shelter Music, through BMG, arranged the European edition. Fall In Fall Out eventually surfaced in January 2021 during ongoing pandemic restrictions that curtailed touring. Confined at home, the members focused on material for a follow-up that reflected lockdown-induced claustrophobia and unease. They chose a compact Liverpool studio to heighten the palpable tension, with Dan Austin and Adrian Bushby producing. The Luka State issued More Than This themselves, engaging Thirty Tigers for distribution.
Albums
Singles
