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- June 3, 2022
ASTRONOID’S GALACTIC NEW ALBUM “RADIANT BLOOM” JUST DROPPED
Is it a bird? A plane? No! It’s Astronoid’s new album coming in HOT. The Boston quartet—Brett Boland, Daniel Schwartz, Casey Aylward, and Matt St. Jean—have put the pandemic hiatus to good use to evolve their style and re-emerging with a completely new sound. Radiant Bloom marks a new era in the band’s history that molds divert energy from multiple extremes into an inviting, intricate and inimitable sound.
“It’s a balance of aggression and emotion,” observes Brett. “This is our next evolution. It’s a reflection of everything over the past few years, and it’s the most personal album we’ve made so far.”
Brett Boland
The new album consisting of nine songs is reaching for the stars with its unique combination of black metal pummel and shoegaze luster. Each song ranges between ~4,5 -5 min, with the exception of the final track “Decades”. The seven-minute epos ironically dedicated to the lead songwriter’s “hate for writing lyrics” concludes Radiant Bloom with a smash.
The first single “Eyes” is a fully charged energetic ice breaker. The intense drums and powerful riffs set the tone for the rest of the album and get you hyped for more. Brett, the lead singer and songwriter notes that “It’s about feeling not completely sure of who you are or what you’re doing. There’s a lot of symbolism of being taken apart and put back together—you aren’t sure if you were put back the same way. At the time, there were a lot of changes in the world.” “Eyes” is also the only song that is accompanied by a visualizer. The video shows the band performing in a surreal jumble of colors and various camera angles, creating a trippy psychedelic feel that screams intergalactic space travel from an old 90s sci-fi.
A trudging beat thuds through a celestial six-string atmosphere as the singer yearns to escape this planet and all its earthly burdens. “Sleep Whisperer” slips into a sweeping harmony awash in distortion that criticizes the egocentrism in our society. Sometimes we all wish we could escape and find our peace in a galaxy far far away.
A dreamy intro sets the tone for “Human” Featuring a seven-string guitar, punctuated by synthesizers, it finds a middle ground “between Ihsahn and Genesis.” Another song follows the album’s theme of criticizing our modern society and what has become of us. Heartbreaking yet eye-opening, maybe “Human” is the wake-up call that we’ve all been waiting for. Close your eyes and let the music wash over you, as you daydream of a better tomorrow.
“The album is about the state of being human and all the trials and tribulations that come along with that. It’s about mundanity and boredom and about everything moving so fast that you feel like you can’t do it all. It’s about the flood of feelings that goes along with everyday experiences and trying to cope with the swirling vortex of life humming around you.”
Brett Boland
Astronoid began their galactic journey to stardom in 2013 with their first EP Stargazer followed by Air only three years later. This opened the door to exclusive opportunities to tour and perform alongside the likes of Ghost, Between The Buried and Me, Zeal & Ardor, Animals As Leaders, Tesseract, Ghost Bath, and more.
The third album is heavily influenced by diverse genres and interprets such as The Smashing Pumpkins and Svalbard. It is the peak of the band’s journey toward self-expression and a brave step toward overcoming the boundaries of conventional music.
“When I threw out all of the boundaries, I set for myself, the record exploded,” he recalls. “It felt really good. That’s how the album formed.”
Brett Boland
New, exciting, and bursting with energy! Astronoid has really outdone themselves this time. Are any long-term fans in the audience? Let us know what you think about the evolution of the band and come through with your favorite Astronoid song in the comments below.
