Luster by AJ Wilson

Luster is a shoegaze band from Los Angeles, California. True to the original sound of the genre; creating textures with "glider" guitars swirling throughout songs, and the sampling of break beats from the 90's house era, the band has added a newer edge to a commonly misidentified style of music.

Started by Adrian Castillo and Alvin Carillo, Luster was formed out of a desire to create a band that stands out against their contemporaries; the use of drum sampling and electronic elements has been present in their music since the beginning. With aggressive urgency that carries the bands music, Luster maintains a textured, softer approach to a sound that's been long since abandoned or forgotten. 2019 saw the release of their first full length, Turbulence, as a self-release in collaboration with Los Angeles record label, Atwater Records. In 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic and rising political unrest, Luster released their second official release titled Blue Oblivion as a 4 song EP on Funeral Party Records; with the help of co-production, mixing, and mastering by Nick Bassett (Whirr, Nothing, Deafheaven, Death of Lovers). The partnership with Bassett has helped establish Luster as a dominant force in the modern shoegaze landscape with the release of their sophomore album Dopamine Loop & their latest single “Missing You”.  While the electronic dance music leaning style of Dopamine Loop was an exercise in experimentation, “Missing You” is a return to the true essence of shoegaze with percussive drums hammering against loud swirling guitars and haunting vocals. 2023 saw Luster playing sold out shows in Los Angeles with Wisp (Interscope Records) & Glare (Sunday Drive Records), a sold out headlining show with Glixen, as well as contributing song writing to the forthcoming Wisp album. 

As heard on the following Spotify Official playlists:

Fresh Finds - 1 million+ listeners

Fresh Finds Indie - 200k+ listeners

Shoegaze Now - 100k+ listeners

All New Indie - 1.2 million+ listeners

contact Luster:

lvsterband@gmail.com