Luna Collins, the seasoned pop-rock musician and former frontwoman for the all-female band, The Relay, has released her latest single, “Man In The Mac” – available now.
The San Francisco native was heavily influenced by the music of Motown and the Everly Brothers, but when she saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, she knew she wanted to be like that. Moving to the UK at 17, she experienced the emergence of the punk scene with bands like The Sex Pistols, The Jam and The Clash. She intertwined the catchy, high-energy vibe of the punk movement with her Beatles-inspired melodies when she returned to the United States, touring with her group The Relay.
It was during that time that Luna set out on a trip to Portland aiming to broaden the band’s audience beyond San Francisco. As fate would have it, Luna’s unexpected meeting with the legendary Ray Davies, chief songwriter of the Kinks, at a Portland airport served as the inspiration for “Man In The Mac.”
“After this encounter with Ray Davies, I knew I wanted to write about him in a fun, yet mysterious way, and that was the birth of the song Man In The Mac. It ended up being a crowd favourite at gigs, but it was never recorded until now,” Luna excitedly explains.
Luna was the lead vocalist and pianist in Man In The Mac, joined by guitarist Danny Kehlenbeck and drummer Dan Wiebe. Additionally, the lineup includes backup vocals by Paul Kopf and mellotron played by Alec Palao. The production and mixing were creatively overseen by Danny Kehlenbeck at Airtight Studios in Manchester, UK, while the mastering was carried out by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios in London.
“The people on this track are some of the most talented in their fields of expertise. I have been working with Danny K for years at Airtight Studios since I moved to Manchester – it is my happy place and Danny reads my musical mind perfectly” says Luna.
Luna’s origins in music date back to the late 1960s Summer of Love. Resilience and a strong love for her work have been hallmarks of her musical journey, from time spent in UK pub bands to the highs and lows she experienced with The Relay. After returning to England in her 60s, Luna released an EP in 2022 that gave her the motivation to keep making music.
