Lina Lane: singer, songwriter and bass player.
Lee Feltham: guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer
When playing live, the band is always joined by a session drummer.
Here we are in May, and I’m tracking down a band I first came across back in 2024 at a Comic Con—yes, I was dressed as a Scooby Doo character, and yes, they were providing the soundtrack to that surreal, brilliant day. Their 2024 release Live from the Comic Con Tour, Vol I still takes me straight back there. I have retained a great liking for the duo ever since, reflected in some art work we created and I have placed in the feature piece before my review – I always see these guys performing with a great crew of planetary travellers at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe! So I had to dip into their new album for you and am very happy to share this interview as well.
For background, Lina and the Lions are a Sheffield-based alt-pop duo whose genre-blending sound fuses neon-soaked synths, soaring guitars, and unfiltered emotion into something both cinematic and defiantly modern.
To set the scene, here’s how the band themselves frame this new chapter:
A soundtrack for becoming.
Fresh off a UK-wide Comic Con tour, Lina and the Lions return with their third album, Of A Third Kind, a bold, cinematic record exploring the alien experience of personal growth and transformation.
Performing to thousands across the UK Comic Con circuit, the Sheffield-based alt-rock duo brought their electrifying live show into the heart of fandom culture, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. That experience didn’t just expand their reach, it ignited a new creative chapter.
Born from that journey, Of A Third Kind is their most emotionally introspective and sonically powerful release to date. Guitar-driven, cinematic, and deeply personal, the album explores what it feels like to evolve into someone new, the strange, unsettling, and ultimately empowering process of becoming. Inspired by classic sci-fi storytelling and the retro-futuristic atmosphere of 80s and 90s cinema and television, the record draws on the sense of wonder and mystery that shaped its visual and sonic aesthetic.
“Growth is like meeting an alien, it’s overwhelming, otherworldly, but ultimately life-changing. This album is about meeting that version of yourself and stepping into the unknown.”
— Lina Lane
First of all I think we will dive into the interview:
This is a cinematic album and cinematic is a word applied to your sound. It is like a soundtrack for a Star Wars movie when the characters are in an alien bar! I know the album is not a concept album, but sci-fi is a groove that seems to be running through it! – the question is, do you agree and do you think visually when writing?
Lina: Love that observation! It’s definitely not a concept album, but we’re huge film lovers, especially sci-fi, so that influence naturally seeps in. The “alien” idea really came from that otherworldly feeling of growing up, or just growing as a person. It can feel strange and unfamiliar, like you’re becoming something new and don’t quite recognise yourself yet. When I write, I almost always see something visually. It’s like the song already exists as a scene with its own colours, atmosphere, and mood and I’m just soundtracking it. A lot of these songs had a visual of being outside, on open roads with no one around, which definitely fed into that expansive, cinematic feel. We even leaned into it in the studio at times. On 17 Yesterday, for example, Lee added a vocoder part and literally called it “the alien voices.” So yeah, even if it’s not a concept album, that sci-fi, cinematic thread is definitely there.
Lee: Lina had already designed the album artwork and it was the desktop background on our home studio Mac while we were tracking the remainder of the album. So it was staring me in the face through the whole tracking process. When I added the breakdown section to “Across The Bridge”, I explained it to Lina as “this is the part where the space ship takes off”! That’s about as literal as we’ve ever been!
The third track on the album, “Like the Summer” I enjoyed – in many ways a love song of regret, “I thought we were blue skies etc” – do you draw on personal stories for your lyrics, and if so is that more the case as you get older?
Lina: “Like The Summer” is very much a love song, and I almost always draw from personal experience, even if the initial spark didn’t come directly from me. I think emotional truth has to come from somewhere real. I am, admittedly, a bit of a hopeless romantic. When we’re younger, we fall in love completely, no filters, no hesitation. We give everything, and sometimes we’re so caught up in it that we ignore what isn’t working. It’s simple. But as you get older and go through heartbreak, that shifts. You become more guarded, more cautious, maybe even a little afraid to fully let go again. That’s really sad. This song isn’t so much about regret as it is about loss. It’s about what becomes of the broken hearted, the ones who gave it everything, fought for it, but didn’t get their happy ending. For some reason, the story of Grease came to mind while I was writing, Danny and Sandy’s initial get together and that’s where the line “I let you love me like the summer” came from. It captures something intense and beautiful, but ultimately fleeting.
We always enjoyed seeing you guys on Instagram as you were doing these Comic Cons and were always pictured with Dr Who or Catwoman etc! Do you enjoy all the cosplay side of these events and who would you dress up as if you had the opportunity? (I mentioned in my review for “17 Yesterday” – Confession time! I was at a Comic Con in 2024 dressed as Velma from Scooby Doo (Look we all have the right to live our own lives and have fun lol) and there was a band playing – Lina and the Lions. So I got to listen to some great music and have so many lovely people around all enjoying the day. I retain a soft spot for this band who have a little niche in the hearts of all of us who have creative imaginations and wish we were in the Mystery Machine or dressed like Catgirl!) – and there is that side to me and maybe so many of us!
Lina: Thank you! That genuinely makes me so happy to hear! And I adore that side of people. That’s why I love Comic-cons! There’s something really special about it. As we get older, we’re often told, subtly or not, to tone that part down, to be more “serious,” but I honestly think that’s the part we should protect the most. That childlike sense of play, imagination and freedom! That’s the part of us we want to connect with through our music, the side that still believes in something bigger.
I’ve always loved cosplay. One of my favourite memories of being a little girl is my mum spending money she really didn’t have to buy me a Red Power Ranger costume and my sister the Pink one. I mean the full thing with the gloves that made the “whoosh whoosh” sounds and my very own wrist communicator to contact Zordon for when things got serious! I felt unstoppable, like I belonged to this bigger world beyond my own. And honestly, that feeling hasn’t really left me, it’s just taken a different shape now being in Lina and the Lions.
If I had the chance now, I’d 100% go as April O’Neil, but only if I could rope the band (and a few con-goer friends) into being the Turtles and Splinter. Go big or go home, right?
AI is developing fast in music, some aspects good, some not perhaps so great. At the magazine we have found it very useful for some design work, pictures and merchandise etc, but are determined to stay off it for the writing side (other than grammar checking) – where are you on the AI debate – a poisoned chalice?
Lina: I think AI is here, and honestly, I don’t think we’re going to stop the natural progression of human technology. But as artists, it’s really important to remember that nothing is more powerful than what we already have, our imagination. That’s the real engine behind everything. In a way, it’s the very thing that made AI possible in the first place. I don’t actually love the term “artificial intelligence.” It doesn’t feel that intelligent to me in a creative sense. It’s not drawing from lived experience or imagination, it’s responding to what we feed into it.
That said, I do think it can be really helpful as an assistant. Especially for DIY artists who are trying to do absolutely everything: write, record, promote, design, tour while also working jobs just to afford rent and food, all while being asked why they don’t have more music out. The reality is, a lot of artists don’t have the time, money, or support to do everything that’s expected of them in 2026. In that sense, AI can genuinely help take some pressure off and help get their art (imagination) out into the world.
For me, the line is imagination. If it ever starts replacing that part, that’s where it becomes a problem. Because imagination is the whole point. That’s where everything starts.
You actually mentioned working on an album called “Of the Third Kind” to us when we last spoke. But that was back in 2023 I think, was it a slow burning idea, you obviously had a title for it quite early on?
Lee: Back in 2023 we already had the tracks demoed and ready for tracking. So the album was already fully conceptualised. Including the title and artwork. We’ve had a very busy couple of years which has delayed the completion of the album. We were playing around with a few possible titles when one day I was reading a book called “The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin and came across this passage “Then there’s a third kind, where you’re gently transported out of reality, without knowing it.” We had the name of our album.
“17 Yesterday” was the single, so I had heard that already, an “alien punk appeal” I said at the time. It seems to have been well received generally. Tell us a bit about that one, was it a natural choice for the first single?
Lee: Love that! Alien Punk! That song had a very strong visual element when arranging it. I kept picturing the scene from “Close Encounters” where the cars were chasing the lights of the craft. We wanted the song to have that drive. The theremin style synth on the intro is quite on the nose now that we think about it! Ha! And the guitar “anti solo” is definitely supposed to be some sort of alien signal. So all in all, it was the perfect reveal for the new music to come on this album.
What lies ahead for you guys in 2026 that you can share with us?
Lee: 2026 for us will consist of 3 main things… Firstly, a lot of social media presence! We’re so grateful for social media. It allows us to connect with our fans in a way that is completely free and uninhibited. And what’s more we can find new people and grow our amazing community of fans.
Second, we will be looking to establish a plan for touring! This will be according to where fans want us to go! That’s the beauty of being independent as a band. We don’t have the “usual” tour circuits. We can go where our fans are, and we plan to do exactly that! Finally, we are already working on new music and will be sharing more on that very soon.
A fun question. It is late at night, and the tour bus breaks down. The wind is howling outside, and the rain is rushing down. A lonely cottage (with electricity) awaits, no one is inside. What book and what film will get you through the night?
Lina: I probably won’t be reading in that scenario to be honest. But I totally would watch a film. That’s a really hard one as there are so many I would choose from. Probably “Empire Records”. No matter how many times I watch that film… it never gets old and feels like a comfort blanket.
Lee: Ok! I’ve read more than enough books to know I’m not going near that empty cottage in the middle of the night! We all know that story isn’t going to go well!
But for a book, at the moment I’m reading “Blue Ocean Strategy”. I’m more into non fiction. Film, we’re watching a lot of “X Files” at the moment. Not exactly a film I know, but…
Art work above created by Rock the Joint Magazine
My Review:The album release date is May 15, 2026. However, it is available to order as a physical CD release now on the band website.
The album has 11 tracks and runs to 40.30 minutes.
From the opening moments, Of A Third Kind leans fully into its cinematic, sci-fi-linged identity—balancing alt-pop accessibility with something more expansive and atmospheric.
“Nearest City (Wake Me Up)” opens the album to some alt pop rock, it is a spirited opening with plenty of energy and synth downbeat. It quickly establishes the feeling from their live shows and you can immediately see them slipping this into the live set.
“If This Is It” is a dreamy romantic sci-fi style number. It has a more radio friendly feel and I could happily have this one playing on my breakfast hectic school run! It slips neatly into the early album vibe and the vocals from Lina were great on this one.
“Like The Summer” was a favourite of mine on this album, and if you have read the interview you will have gained some extra background! The sound is a little more stripped back, it is kind of a techno ballad that can pick up the tempo when it chooses! It is one I will make sure has a place in my Summer sounds playlist.
“I Don’t Know Why I Lie” introduces some interesting instrumentalisation, a crackling drum sound and some heavier guitar breaks. It’s a song that you can’t pop a label on, it does a lot and includes a sort of background radio feel to it as well.
“17 Yesterday” begins with a spacy sci-fi vibe before a rock guitar kicks into the mix. It is a distinctive sound, delivered with the usual intensity from this alt-pop rock duo (fronted by singer-songwriter Lina Lane alongside guitarist/producer Lee Feltham). The track certainly has an alien punk appeal, in fact if we have a visitor from Mars I expect them to be joining the party. It certainly places a marker down for the coming album – more than anything it’s fun.
“Wear This Weather” – “I can’t find a big enough umbrella” sings Lina in this uplifting poppy feeling number. It employs a little piano mid-section and then kicks into this fine musical break section. A few vocal gymnastics from Lina too makes this an engaging number.
“One Day You’ll Know” is another one that would happily slot into the mid-morning Summer radio playlist. I’m actually listening to this album late at night, but I really see it as morning sunshine music – it is early day coffee with a chocolate biscuit! You can dance in the work place to this one (if no-one is watching).
“Welcome To Me” is a solid pop track with a neat guitar to drive the rhythm. It’s a well produced number, layered and allowed to find its way through my headphones. I liked the little touch at the end too!
“Make It Happen” slows things down a touch. It has a spacy feel about it and happily takes wings in its own way, it also neatly bridges to the last part of the album. It tells a story and invites us along.
“Wasting Light” is an explorative track. It celebrates a feeling of being safe and feeling brand new, it is one of those that definitely has a cinematic feel.
“Across the Bridge” closes the album down with a futuristic feel and a dreamy sense of moving along in life and emotion.
Of A Third Kind is an album that doesn’t just sit in your ears—it plays out in your imagination. Lina and the Lions have created something that feels as much like a film as it does a record, blending alt-pop hooks with cinematic ambition and just the right amount of sci-fi wonder. Across its 11 tracks, there’s a sense of movement—of growth, change, and stepping into the unknown—that mirrors the very themes the band set out to explore.
What stands out most is how naturally it all comes together. Nothing feels forced. Whether it’s the punchy energy of “17 Yesterday,” the reflective pull of “Like The Summer,” or the expansive closing moments of “Across the Bridge,” this is a band that understands both sound and feeling—and how to fuse the two.
And maybe that’s why they fit so perfectly in that Comic Con memory. Lina and the Lions make music you can step into, whether you’re on an open road, in a crowded convention hall, or sat imagining life somewhere just a little more otherworldly.
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