- Words Darcy Culverhouse
French Indie quartet, Astral Bakers, unfold a tale of inevitability in their album, The Whole Story.
Somewhere in between the acoustic balladry of rock and the spellbinding nature of shoegaze is where you’ll find Astral Bakers sound. Pioneering the path of soft grunge, the quartet unveils electrical guitar solos that pierce with vigour, while their uplifting chord progressions draw listeners into a soundscape where their collective vision beams. Their vision? It’s quite simple: to seek epiphanies while embodying purity and fostering friendships throughout their music.
Marking their biggest project to date, The Whole Story, stands as a quintessential introduction to Astral Bakers fundamental sound and spearheading artistry. With Sage and Nicholas on guitars, Theodora on bass, and Zoe on drums, this French ensemble believe that this project is their calling card to the world. Unravelling a narrative steeped in inevitability and interwoven with uncertainty across the 10 tracks, the album showcases the symbiotic interplay of electric guitar solos and resonant basslines all whilst the drums cocoon the backdrop.
In ‘I Don’t Remember’ we witness undertones of anguish play out as piercing guitar lines ring out juxtaposed to the uplifting chord progressions. Whilst in ‘Shelter’—the album’s lead single— and ‘Why’, Astral Bakers delve into the indie-folk territory, in ‘Something New’ we witness their hallmark sound come to play. With electrifying guitar solos probing the soundscape, a whimsical backdrop is manifested exuding nothing but otherworldly allure.