Aftertouch, the new album by Canadian group Absolutely Free, frequently takes the listener skywards; “How To Paint Clouds”, “Clear Blue Sky” and “Morning Sun” lift off into an ethereal, dreamy world of experimental psych-pop.
Absolutely Free combine Krautrock and neo-psychedelia to create their own distinctive sound; Matt King’s vocals add warmth to a wash of synthesizers and effects pedals created with Michael Claxton, and Moshe Fisher-Rozenberg. The band’s stated aim is to “pull threads from popular music and weave them together into complex patterns” so that “a casual listener can enjoy a catchy phrase, while a deeper listen reveals stranger structures and narratives lying beneath”; Aftertouch undoubtedly achieves this on tracks like the ambitiously expansive “Are They Signs?” and “Epilogue (After Touch)”.
Standouts include the driving, radio-friendly “Interface”, the insistent “Still Life”, and the trippy Floyd-ian “Remaining Light”, the latter railing against corrupt institutions.
Produced by Jorge Elbrecht, Aftertouch is available on limited 12” vinyl and download.
Label: Boiled Records
Release Date: 24 SEP 2021
Poetic Justice 