GETTING TO KNOW: Tora Luna

Emerging from the UK’s diverse musical landscape, Tora Luna transcends the typical indie band archetype—a dynamic collective that transforms musical differences into creative alchemy. Comprising of core members Alex Broadgate, Dominic Johnson, Joshua Kime, and Ellie Parker, the group celebrates musical diversity as their greatest strength.

On their latest single ‘Wait For Spring’, Alex and Dom take the reins, challenging the sterile precision of modern music production with a raw, unfiltered approach to songwriting that defies algorithmic perfection.

Recorded live in producer Gus White’s countryside barn studio, the track is a raw, spontaneous exploration of human musicality. Inspired by the textural approaches of Talking Heads and the melodic sensibilities of Bombay Bicycle Club, Broadgate and Johnson deliberately embrace imperfection—allowing their music to breathe, speed up, and slow down in ways no algorithm could predict.

“We’ll never be as precise as a machine, never as on the grid and glitzy and quick to change whole sections – but we will always be more human.” explains band member Dominic Johnson  “And so, with that in mind, we decided that the three of us would be in the one control room of Gus’s four-live-room studio, shunning concerns about spill or messing up takes or anything, in order to pursue something that sounded like we were having fun making music with our friends – because that’s something you can’t fake – neither with AI nor with doing fifteen drum takes.”

Following the single’s release, we sat down with Alex and Dom to unravel the inspirations behind their boundary-pushing musical project.

 

What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

Alex: I used to be a huge fan of Muse. In my early teens, I saved all my money and put my name on a two year waiting list to own a Manson guitar. I can still vividly picture the day that it arrived. 

Dom: I got an absolutely stunning Faith Legacy Mars about a year ago and I think that’s the first instrument I fell completely in love with. It’s so inspiring to play!

 

What was the first band or artist you enjoyed when you were younger?

Alex: Definitely The Beatles.  

Dom: As a young child The Beatles were a huge one – they were always playing in the house.

 

What was the first album you remember owning?

Alex: It’s really hard to remember at what point I started buying my own CDs vs playing my parents CDs in the car. But I can remember owning and loving “Hand Built by Robots” by Newton Faulkner. 

Dom: My first album purchase was The Kaiser Chief’s Employment, The Fratellis Costello Music and The Pigeon Detectives – all three on a three for a fiver deal.

 

What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?

Alex: There are so many, but I will go with “One For My Baby” by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen

Dom: “The End of the World” by Skeeter Davis – such a simple idea for a song, that comes around every chorus.

 

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Alex: Father John Misty, Blossoms and Clairo (Clairo’s latest album “Charm” is an absolute masterpiece). 

Dom: I’m absolutely loving the new Father John Misty album, as well as Maddison Cunningham’s collaboration with Andrew Bird.

If there was any moment in your career you could relive, what would it be?

Alex: I think it would be the recording of our next single “Why Wouldn’t You Say So?”. It was quite stressful and complicated to organise as there were a lot of musicians involved, travelling from different parts of the country and arriving at different times. But the recording weekend couldn’t have gone better and I had such a warm, happy feeling when we listened to the final record together at the end of the weekend. 

Dom: Bagging a slot to play at Cambridge Folk Festival’s stage two, and then bumping into Seasick Steve in the lunch queue afterwards.

Which artist would you most love to share the stage with?

Alex: Mac DeMarco around the “Salad Days” era.

Dom: I want to say Nick Cave but I also might be a bit scared.

And is there an artist you would love to collaborate with as well?

Alex: I actually have a note on my phone with a long list of dream collaborators! If I had to name one, it would be Kevin Parker. Very closely followed by James Ford and Celeste. 

Dom: For me this would probably be Belle and Sebastian. They’re my biggest long standing influence I reckon.

What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?

Alex: The incredibly talented people that you get to work with. 

Dom: The unending riches.

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

Alex: don’t worry too much about how the songs are connected. There will always be a common thread based on the core group of people involved.

Dom: Don’t have a backup plan, because if you do, that becomes Plan A.

Listen to ‘Wait For Spring’ across all major streaming platforms now!