No Album Left Behind: Maria Somerville’s Luster is a tran...

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Let’s talk about The Irish musician s second album conjures a sound that sits somewhere between shoegaze and ambience, where each song is an image or memory touched by post-punk, slowcore, and astral-projected hypnagogia.

0 No Album Left Behind: Maria Somerville’s Luster is a transient, indescribable pathway The Irish musician’s second album conjures a sound that sits somewhere between shoegaze and ambience, where each song is an image or memory touched by post-punk, slowcore, and astral-projected hypnagogia. Caroline Nieto — By Caroline Nieto | | 2:00pm Music Reviews maria somerville Copy to clipboard × Copy Link Copy Link — Facebook X Reddit Bluesky Email 0 The hard truth is, no matter how many albums we review for Paste each year, there are always countless releases that end up overlooked. (and honestly, same)

That’s why, from now until the end of December, we’re bringing back our No Album Left Behind series and singing the praises of our favorite underrated records of 2025.

The Details

The soft, subliminal world of Maria Somerville’s Luster is one of my favorite places music has taken me this year. Her finely crafted pop-psychedelia conjures a sound that sits somewhere between shoegaze and ambience, where each song is a three-dimensional landscape touched by post-punk, slowcore, and astral-projected hypnagogia.

Here, the Irish singer-songwriter—and frequent host of NTS’s Early Bird Show—joins the ranks of experimental pop aficionadas like Astrid Sonne and ML Buch. While trying to describe the sonic quality of Luster , I keep favoring symbolism over specificity.

Why This Matters

To do the sound justice, thinking about for rippling lakes and grassy plains feels more faithful than adhering to musical technicalities. Each song feels like an exploration in setting rather than technique, with motifs that circle back to the sky and its pathways. Luster ’s environment is distinct, complete, fabled.

The entertainment world moves fast, and this is a prime example.

The Bottom Line

And sometimes, these environments manifest more literally: cooing songbirds and crashing waves ease into the instrumental opener, “Réalt. ” As Somerville makes way for the proceeding “Projections,” she widens her scope, sifting through layers of wispy vocals that keep the language at an arm’s length.

What do you think about all this?