Fly Among the Storm
Afternoon Astronauts Iba Sirviö – vocals, guitar. Jere Perta – bass, backing vocals. Joel Pyykkönen – guitar.Miika Röyskö – drums
Let’s dive into this debut album. From Helsinki we have Afternoon Astronauts. The album starts with its title track Fly Among The Storm. The opening of this song, and therefore the album entices the listener immediately with its slow build, jumping into full band. From there you get pulled in by not only the lyrics but the flow of the song. It gives off energy that holds the listener and should make them want to hear more.
The transition from song to song feels very controlled and deliberate. As the title suggests, you are flying among the storm. The band is taking you through the storm with them. It's easy to hear the production value and work put into this album.
Jumping to the third song on the album, Freak In The Halls. This track to me, is the first to really show the vocal range of Iba Sirviö, the lead vocalist. Throughout the track you get both lows and highs and it’s topped off in my opinion by an impressive scream right at the end that he holds for an extended time. This song is one of the top ones for me on the album for this reason.
Afternoon Astronauts wanted to highlight the next song on the album, The Hand. I can see why, because it has all the elements this album showcases. I think it represents what the album sounds like at its core. It shows the musicianship and production that the album writing process and ultimately the end result was able to succeed on.
Fly Among the Storm
F.A.T.S.Let Me BeFreak in the HallsThe HandJust Like MeUnstable MindBattleLockdownDon’t LeaveTimes Like TheseMeaning for MeNeed to Be
Just Like Me will initially surprise the listener because of the complete change from the first four songs. Just Like Me is more raw and leans a lot more on the vocals and lyrics. I wouldn’t say it’s a full ballad but it does lean that direction and has a more acoustic feel then any of the other songs. This is a benefit to the album because it breaks up the consistent sound you get from the start and makes the listener hear an entire new aspect. It’s an unexpected curve the band throws in but it makes the album stronger.
My favorite song on the album is Unstable Mind. It has a mix of the slower feel that Just Like Me brings but continues to grow from verse to verse and chorus to chorus. This combined with the strong lyrics and theme make it a repeat listen. The emotion sits deep rather than just on the surface as the song strengthens.
I want to point out that a huge highlight of this album is the band themselves. This album took time, the band worked hard perfecting it to the sound they wanted. This on top of getting a new drummer in the process, couldn’t have been easy. I applaud the work, and the finished product. The album flows song to song to make the journey easy for the listener. I mentioned it before but the musicianship is strong. You can’t go long in the album without hearing the guitar hitting some riff. You will hear an impressive vocal range with room to expand and grow it in the future. As a debut album, Afternoon Astronauts put out an album people can enjoy, with songs that should make their concerts full of energy. Based on their social media posts, they are already getting quite a following and a full album should only continue that trend for them.
Review:
I would rate this album at a 7.5/10
Music/Songwriting: 8/10
Lyrics: 7/10
Mix/Production: 9/10
Originality: 7/10
-Chris Mason