No matter the distance, music brings us closer together. Over 1,000 miles separates the United Kingdom from Croatia. The Lunar Year may have been born online, but UK-based vocalist, guitarist, and bassist Connor Ball (The Vamps) and Croatian drummer Sasa Macek (Cheat Codes) brought the music to life the good old-fashioned way—face-to-face. Together, they infuse pop punk with fresh energy and undeniable attitude, igniting a one-two punch of chantable choruses and airtight instrumentation. Now, their 2021 independent debut EP only amplifies the power of this chemistry.

Up until this point, Connor co-founded award-winning platinum pop phenomenon Vamps, toppled charts, and toured worldwide. Meanwhile, Sasa grew up in a family of eleven drummers and holds down the drums for multi-platinum hitmakers Cheat Codes. During the Global Lockdown, Sasa stumbled upon Connor’s pop punk covers on YouTube. He shot Connor a direct message and opened up a conversation via phone, Facetime, and Zoom. “At first, I didn’t think he’d respond because he has so many followers,” laughs Sasa. Together, they cooked up a cover of Machine Gun Kelly’s “forget me too” (feat. Halsey) and kickstarted an unbreakable creative partnership that only exploded once Connor made the trek to Croatia in the summer of 2021.

“When you hear us, I hope even if you’re sad, you just start dancing in the room,” grins Sasa. “There would be nothing better.”