Parisian quartet Astral Bakers return with ‘Vertical Life’, a sophomore effort that feels more like a statement of intent. Where their debut LP ‘The Whole Story’ flirted with the ethereal textures of soft-grunge and atmospheric folk, this new album moves confidently into a space of collaborative clarity, a shared musical consciousness that elevates the band beyond individual contributions.
Recorded stateside with producer Sam Evian, whose work with Big Thief and Blonde Redhead has shaped contemporary indie landscapes, ‘Vertical Life’ captures immediacy over polish. The album thrives on small imperfections, such as the slight friction of a guitar string, the breath between vocal lines, and the gentle sway of a drum fill that almost drifts off-tempo. These moments become part of the record’s texture, grounding us in the authenticity of the band’s performance.
Ambroise, Theodora, Nico, and Zoé trade leads seamlessly, their vocals intertwining in ways that feel both choral and conversational. Guitars shimmer and crackle across the eleven tracks, sometimes biting with grunge-inflected urgency, sometimes floating in a haze of reverb-drenched melancholy. The bass anchors each song with cinematic weight, while drums alternate between restrained, jazzy subtlety and dreamlike propulsion. The result is an expansive yet intimate world, where indie introspection and cathartic intensity coexist naturally.
Thematically, ‘Vertical Life’ wrestles with tension and balance. The title hints at ascent and vertigo, the push-and-pull of striving and letting go, a duality mirrored in the music’s dynamic range.
In a scene often dominated by singular frontperson narratives, Astral Bakers distinguish themselves through unity. ‘Vertical Life’ is a record that rewards repeated listening, delivering a meticulous, emotive journey that captures the raw electricity of a band fully in sync, growing together and daring us to ascend with them.
