It's finally here! The NY-based production/vocals duo, ASTR, just released their first "full-length" project, and it's an EP which definitely befits their recent rise to that "next big thing" status in the indie music world. The track list is mostly recycled from their singles back-catalogue, but we're not complaining, because every song is just as great as the first time you listened to it, and all that beautiful downtempo magic is again present and accounted for. Since you're probably already familiar with their older offerings like "R U With Me" and "Operate", we're gonna devote some attention to their two new tracks, "We Fall Down" and "Blue Hawaii." "We Fall Down" still embraces the ASTR sound aesthetic, but there is something just a tad more upbeat in the composition, and it's got a lot of that same low-key pop which made "R U With Me" an enjoyable listen even for the more casual music connoisseur. "Blue Hawaii", meanwhile, feels much more dance-centric than the other tracks, but you could probably just chalk that up to its faster-paced hook and vaguely EDM-like "build, drop, repeat" build structure. It's always a pleasant surprise to hear an EP for the first time and find out that the artists didn't try to hide their sub-par work underneath the shine of their lead single's success. The two new tracks on ASTR's Varsity are just a good as their previous works, and we're happy to report that the duo's sound is as healthy as it has ever been. [via Fader]
ASTR