What would you get if you crossed the groovy, mellow attitude of Soundgarden, the heavy hitting of Linkin Park, and the angst of Deftones? The answer is ASkySoBlack and their newest release Autumn In The Water. This EP, released April 20 of this year, is their second studio release, and is poised to appeal to every post-hardcore fans’ deepest desires, with melodic, almost caressing lyrics and vocals that will send you off to dream land, nodding all the way.
Made up of Jordan Shteif (Guitar/Vocals), Liam Coombe (Guitar), Alec Martin (drums), Norman Staley (Bass), and Vaughn Doe (Guitar), these gents hail from Philadelphia, and bring a certain edge to a style of music that has been needing a little TLC. The band cites Smashing Pumpkins and At the Drive-In as some of their influences, and they have managed to bring that feeling into these tracks without copy-catting.
It’s easy to appreciate each track; they are well suited for working at a desk, moshing at a show, or simply driving down an evening highway. Autumn In The Water up with “Made Up Face,” a song which puts into perspective the ideals the EP wanted to convey. “See You Scared” is a good follow up, and was also the single of the release. “Tell By Touch” starts off with a ramped up drum beat that gives a bit of life to the song, and highlights those Deftones roots. This happens to be my personal favorites of this entire release. The EP ends with “Defacing You,” a simple little ditty with the same emotion as the other tracks; this track could easily be at the end of the next big teen vampire movie. The boys at Timber Studios are definitely onto something, and August Axcelson, as we say in the south, really put his foot in this one.
ASkySoBlack have achieved working the emo/post-hardcore angle in a way that isn’t incessant and obnoxious, but more brooding and observational. Jordan, vocalist, has cited this release as “inevitability of reaping what you sow as a person blighted by depression”; I can concur that the overall theme of the EP and the lyrics within the songs align perfectly. Autumn In The Water is the album your older brother would kill you for stealing; it’s the spark that may ignite a whole deep dive into sub-genre after sub-genre, all the while staying relevant in the listeners mind. Though livening up just a tad may be beneficial to the band’s popularity, they definitely have a lot to say, and I look forward to what they have in store for us next.
perfect description of the band, cant wait for more of their music