Lunear is a rather unknown progressive rock band from France. The band consists of keyboardist-vocalist Paul J. No, drummer-vocalist Sébastien Bournier and guitarist-bassist Jean-Philippe Benadjer. No and Bournier have known each other for twenty years, but four years ago they decided to write songs together. They exchanged their lyrics and musical ideas into eight new songs. Bournier invited his old friend Benadjer to play the guitar and the bass and Lunear was born. In 2018 they released their debut album Many Miles Away, a classic song album, followed by the concept album Curve.Axis.Symmetry in 2020 and their cover album Gostraks in 2022. Recently they produced the new album From Above. Since hardly anybody knows Lunear, Background Magazine is glad to put them into the spotlights and asked them about their past, present and future!

Can you tell our readers where you come from and how the band started?
Paul J. No (PJN): "Our band consists of three band members. Sébastian is the drummer, and he sings occasionally. He hails from Montpellier and he lives close to Avignon. My name is Paul, and I come from Paris, but I have been

From L to R: Paul J. No, Jean-Philippe Benadjer and Sebastien Bournier

living in Barcelona for sixteen years now. I play the keyboards, and I sing most of the songs. Jean-Philippe is our guitarist and bassist and sometimes he sings as well. He hails from Dijon, and he also lives there. Sébastian and I started the band ten years ago. We've known each other for some twenty-five years or more. He has played the drums on many of my records, and I played on some of his solo albums. One day, the idea of making an album together came very naturally. Séb had some demos, and I started working on them. In two years, we had about eight songs. Then we realized that we needed a guitarist and a bassist, and that's when Jean-Philippe showed up."
Jean-Philippe Benadjes (JPB): "Séb asked me if I was interested in participating in the Lunear project. He and Paul were looking for a guitarist and bassist to finish their songs, and for someone who could mix the album. Well, I had already mixed a few of Séb's solo albums, and of course the albums of my own. I listened to the songs that they had written for Many Miles Away, and I liked the songs, so I accepted the job."

What does the name Lunear mean? Has it anything to do with Lunear Fino Sherry or with the moon?
Sébastian Bournier (SB): "No, ha, ha, it has nothing to do with sherry, whatsoever! In the French language la lune' means 'the moon', so you are right as far as the moon is concerned. I've always been obsessed by the moon. However, I must admit that I can't remember why I added 'ar' behind 'lune'! Lunear was the name of a demo that I wrote and that later became Fresh Start, the last song of our first album."
PJN: "I just remember that the demo of this song included a synth sound called 'lunar something'. I guess it comes from that demo."

In 2018 Lunear released their debut Many Miles Away. How do you look back at this album and how did it come about?
SB: "It's rather funny because I've listened to it a few days ago for the first time in years and I really love it. It's a great record. The album contains many great songs. There's not a single note that I don't like.

Album art 'Many Miles Away'

I had forgotten a great deal of the album, and I was quite surprised. In my memory it sounded better though. The album lacks the guitar of Jean-Philippe, but that is understandable as he joined the band later while most of the songs were already written."
PJN: "Well, I really like Many Miles Away and the process of making the album as well. Back then we had time. We just wanted to write good adult-oriented and classic rock songs. At the time, we didn't know who would sing them, since both Séb and I are singers too. When Jean-Philippe joined, he gave us the things we missed. Although his influence isn't as big as in the subsequent records, I really enjoyed the way he played the lines we had written. We also started collaborating on two new songs, which helped to set the stage for our next album Curve.Axis.Symmetry."
JPB: "As Paul and Séb already stated, most of the songs were almost finalized when I joined the project. My job was mainly to blend in with what was planned, but from the start I also had the possibility to come up with adjustments like the arrangement of the intro of Fresh Start, the middle section of Don't Be Scared, and the overall approach of Just Another Song About That Girl. The adjustments turned out to be conclusive. I am very proud of the result we obtained."

In 2020 the second album Curve.Axis.Symmetry appeared. I hear influences from bands such as Barclay James Harvest, Tai Phong and Marillion with Steve Hogarth. Am I right, were you influenced by these bands?
SB: "We are fans of Genesis, that's how we met, but we are fans of so many artists. Some of these preferences we share like Steven Wilson and Marillion, some we don't like Prince, Mike Oldfield, and Lana Del Rey. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Jean-Jacques Goldman, the singer of Tai Phong but I really don't know the band that well, that it could be an influence. I'm also a major fan of Marillion with Fish but I prefer Marillion with Steve Hogarth, so you're right there. I've never listened to Barclay James Harvest, but surely, Paul and Jean-Philippe have, but I don't know if that band is an influence though."

Album art 'Curve.Axis.Symmetry'

PJN: "I guess we were making a kind of classic rock or progressive pop music. So, Barclay James Harvest, Supertramp, Alan Parsons Project, some Pink Floyd, and Genesis are major influences for me. Marillion, of course with Fish or Hogarth, I love them both. But I like many other musical styles: pop, rock, heavy metal, electronic, just to mention a few."
JPB: "It's obvious that many of our common influences are rooted in the progressive rock, pop rock, and art rock field. So, names like Marillion, Pink Floyd, Genesis, or Steven Wilson are clear references. Personally, I listen to a lot of other things that also influenced me in a way that may be less noticeable at first glance."

Is Curve.Axis.Symmetry a concept album?
SB: "Yes, it is! It tells the story of the curse of immortality. Our character can't die and lives to get bored of everything, which is eventually the end of civilisation, the end of life and the end of our planet. The character is left floating in space, drifting forever, hoping to land in another galaxy and enjoy life again. By the way, the name of the album is a tribute to Genesis, Marillion and Steven Wilson. Both Genesis with Calling All Stations and Marillion with Clutching At Straws had CAS-albums. Steven Wilson had points between the words for the title of his fourth album Hand.Cannot.Erase."
PJN: "It's also a concept album in the form that we've written it. Séb is very intense and strict about the mood, the musical style, and the melodies of a song. When you have already finished the lyrics the music has to fit in the words. It's easier to write the lyrics upon the music. But when you tell a story you must be strict. The process to fit the words into the music was complicated, and the fact that we live far apart doesn't help. However, I really like the result."

In 2022 you released the cover album Gostraks. Why a cover album and how did you choose the songs to cover?

Album art 'Gostraks'

SB: "When Curve.Axis.Symmetry was finished, I felt that my creative batteries were down. I wrote the lyrics, and I gave the direction for the music because I knew what the story needed. I needed time before I could write songs again, let alone an album. So, we went for a cover album. It was supposed to be fun and easy. It was after the corona pandemic, and we needed fun and doing things at ease. Finally, it was not easy because we wanted it to sound like an album instead of a collection of songs."
PJN: "We had the idea of linking the songs together to make it a Lunear album. I really think the album flows beautifully. It was extremely demanding work to link songs that were not intended to follow one another."
JPB: "As Sébastien already stated, we needed a break after Curve.Axis.Symmetry, since it was quite a difficult album to record, or at least one that required a lot of work. Doing covers seemed a straightforward way for us to continue making music in an easier way, especially since we completed the cover of Stiltskin's Inside in a truly short time. So, we decided to record an EP of covers, which evolved into an album of covers and finally became a big project of an album of all the covers linked together. It seems that we can't keep things simple; we always make things complicated."

Would you please state why you chose Turn It On Again by Genesis?
SB: "As I told you before, we formed a band because of Genesis, so it was obvious for us to do a Genesis song. Turn It On Again is together with Carpet Crawlers, my favourite Genesis song. It seems for a non-musician a kind of pop song, but it's really complicated with its 13/4-time signature."
PJN: "Turn It On Again is really complicated but I like it. In the end, it's something like a 13/4-time signature but not a regular one. The wonderful thing is that it seems so easy when you listen to the song. I really wanted to add the Guide Vocal part, which has always been one of my favourite Genesis melodies. So, the three of us did it a capella."

What about Modern Love by David Bowie?

From L to R: Sebastien Bournier, Paul J. No, and Jean-Philippe Benadjer

PJN: "Modern Love was my choice, but Jean-Philippe loves this song too. It's a perfect song to get in a good mood. We played it a bit darker, especially in the first minute of the song."
JPB: "Paul actually 'stole' the idea for Modern Love from me when we were discussing covers, we wanted to do. This 'feel good' song is one of my favourite David Bowie songs."

Why did you cover Warriors Of The Wasteland by Frankie Goes To Hollywood?
JPB: "Well, I think that the music of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, in certain aspects, had a somewhat progressive approach. Warriors Of The Wasteland is not FGTH's best known song, but I always liked the energy that emanates from it. I found it interesting to approach it from a dystopian point of view, as if the song came from a post-apocalyptic, desolate world."

What was the reason for chosing Inside by Stiltskin?
SB: "Ray Wilson, singer of Stiltskin is also the third singer of Genesis. We did this song for a contest we won during the corona pandemic. I think it was something like 'the best remote cover.' Inside is a funny and powerful song. During the lockdown we were'inside' all day long. We recorded it and made a video in less than three days. It launched the whole idea of recording a cover album. We probably wouldn't have recorded Gostraks without this contest."
JPB: "It was funny to cover this song that I had already covered twenty years earlier with my first band. As Séb says, without this cover we might not have launched the Gostraks project."

In my opinion the next four covers are in fact kind of strangers in our midst. Why Sleeping Satellite by Tasmin Archer?
PJN: "It's a perfect pop song and beautifully sung by Tasmin Archer. I wrote to her to let her know that we intended to cover the song, and she kindly responded and shared it on her social media account."
JPB: "It's a pop classic from the nineties. It wouldn't have occurred to me to cover this song but in the end, I find our version real fun."

And what would you comment on Perfume by Britney Spears..!?
PJN: "Well, honestly speaking I love Britney's music. It's slightly vulgar American bad taste coupled with the extreme efficiency of the compositions and production. It's totally unstoppable. I spent hours with Britney albums in my ears, and it's one of the best vacation memories I have. However, I wanted to do a more rock version, and I think we succeeded."

And the last one: Shake The Disease by Depeche Mode?
PJN: "Another personal choice. Depeche Mode has always been a major influence, and when I decided to learn to play the piano and I left the cello - which was initially my instrument - the first song I learned was Shake The Disease. So, it had to be on this record."
JPB: "I'm also a really big fan of Depeche Mode, so I was excited to do a track from this band."

And then Venice Bitch by Lana Del Rey?
SB: "I'm a huge fan of Lana Del Rey, but Paul and Jean-Philippe are not. It was an obvious choice for me because we wanted to cover a song sung by a female. I had to convince them that it could work, the second part has a snippet from another song called Off To The Races. I think we succeeded in doing something special with this song and in my opinion it's the best cover we recorded. I'm proud of it. In fact, I'm proud of everything we did, but this beats all the other things."
PJN: "I think Séb is right. It's one of the best songs on the album for two reasons: Séb is really into this song and second: we took the song to a much higher level. It has a fantastic vibe in the second part, nearly in the vein of Marillion. I really love the guitar solo."
JPB: "I don't like Lana Del Rey, that's for sure, but I really like this song on the album."

And why you chose Renee by Talk Talk?
JPB: "Talk Talk is one of my favourite bands. Their musical journey is unique and a source of inspiration for me. Renee is my favourite track from the It's My Life album. I find that its atmosphere foreshadows the evolution of the band."

This is the 21st Century by Marillion seems to me a logical choice.
PJN: "Yes, it is. At first Séb wanted to sing it but I did the full demo while singing the song, so we decided to keep my vocals. I believe that my voice fits very well with the song."

Album art 'From Above'

In 2024 you finally released From Above. As far as I'm concerned this is your most mature album. Did it turn out the way you wanted it to be?
SB: "No! It turned out to be better! The album sounds better than I could ever have imagined."
PJN: "First, I believe that these are the best lyrics Séb has ever written. Second, we met in Séb's house for three days and we wrote the first song In Their Eyes together jamming. In three days, we had more than 35 minutes of music. Then we reduced it to 25 minutes. Ideas came incredibly fast during those sessions, and it definitely helped to build an atmospheric prog song covering the character's mood. It was the first time we ever wrote together. We didn't know if it was going to work, but it turned out to be fantastic. Third, the mixing of the album is brilliant. We worked with David Paredes, a Spanish sound engineer. He did a fantastic job."

In my opinion From Above contains the most progressive rock influences. Could you say that it has been inspired by the progressive rock bands from the seventies?
SB: "Yes, you could say that. After a song album, a concept album, and a cover album, we wanted to make a seventies album. That means an album with one long epic song to fill one side of a vinyl record and some shorter songs on the other side."
JPB: "The new album contains seventies prog in its structure, but not necessarily from a pure musical point of view, even if the influences of the bands from this era are obvious. I think we tried to make music that was perhaps lesser produced, more direct, and 'live' in a certain way. It was something new for us. You must understand that each album is built on what we have learned but it is also a rupture with the previous one since we don't want to repeat ourselves, which is in fact the meaning of progressive rock."

Why did you call the album From Above?
PJN: "The title was inspired by the artwork. Jean-Philippe created a mathematical design on his computer that we loved. It looked like a picture of earth taken by a drone, hence the title. People might think we are mystical or religious, but we are not. The song Cathedral has nothing to do with a church or a religion; we only played with the title."

Would you please tell us briefly about the separate songs lyric wise?
SB: "The first song In Their Eyes is about a prisoner of war who will try to escape from jail at the end of the song. It's a long story and we spend a lot of time about the character's mind, going through his thoughts. Cathedral is about a certain condition, and I think that most people can relate to the lyrics one way or another. I won't say anything about So Let's Go, but if someone finds out what it's all about I'll sign the album and send it as a reward to the one who reacted first! I think that there are many clues in the lyrics, so it should be easy to find. The Tears of Nostalgia is about mental health and the struggle with life."

Part of the song In Their Eyes reminded me of Shadow Of The Hierophant by Steve Hackett from his first album Voyage Of The Acolyte (1975). Do you agree?
PJN: "Yes I do, bit it was not intentional. We were more inspired by Pink Floyd for this part, but Jean-Philippe began to play this melody, and we loved it. Indeed, some people said that it reminded them of Shadow Of The Hierophant, but it's more about the way Jean-Philippe played the guitar notes since the notes and chords are completely different. That being said, we can't deny that Steve Hackett is a great reference for him."

Do you already perform your music in front of a live audience?
SB: "Sadly, we don't. We live in two different countries and in three different cities. We have families, jobs... And we would have to recruit at least two musicians to be able to play live..."

What has the future in store for the band?
SB: "Another record! We don't know yet when and what kind of record it will become, but it certainly will be different. Don't expect From Above 2.0 . I don't think that we can do better than that, so we'll have to do something else."
JPB: "As I previously said, we try not to repeat ourselves. We have a few ideas that we'll have to explore first."
PJN: "Maybe I'm more inclined to keep the prog flame in the band, but I believe the guys are right. To do another album in the same classic prog rock tradition would be a mistake. So, we'll see..."

Thanks for answering my questions.
"Thank you for having us!"