When it comes to post rock/math rock instrumental bands, none have more musical swagger than Northern Ireland’s And So I Watch You From Afar. They create the kind of music that makes you dig deep and find resolve in places you didn’t know existed, giving you the confidence to run through figurative walls. Well, that’s how it makes me feel anyway, and most of the time they manage to create something visceral and empowering without the need for lyrics. Listening to their records is my audio equivalent to mindfulness colouring books.
On this their seventh album since their 2009 debut, they return to that formula following the more experimental LP Jettison. Jettison had a more story-based faux soundtrack approach, with some spoken word elements and less of a relentless groove and riff dynamic. Jettison was one of my favourite albums of 2022, so I would have been happy with either direction for this follow up.
The album opens with the confidently groove laden North Coast Megafauna, which is a perfect showcase for the musicianship in the band, with some infectious background vocals to give it an even catchier edge. If you have never heard the band before, this song is the perfect microcosm of everything they do so well and serves as an excellent introduction to ASIWYFA.
Each track then showcases a slightly different aspect of the band’s prowess. On Do Mór, there’s some wonderfully angular guitar work going on, underpinned by some precise percussion, before becoming something like a blissful audible heat shimmer. The two-part track Mother Belfast introduces subtler elements and a lighter touch, pushed right up against some raucous power sections which makes for a perfect contrast. The gorgeous strings and piano combo on Any Joy is reminiscent of Radiohead at their most comforting too. In many ways the percussion across the record does remind me of post Kid A era Radiohead in general, but with more bite and power.
And So I Watch You From Afar are one of the bands I was meant to see in 2020, but missed out due to the pandemic. This album has reminded me that I still need to sort out seeing them live, as I’m sure it will be an even more powerful and transcendent experience than on record. They are playing the Wednesday and Saturday of ArcTanGent in Bristol I now realise. This is a band who know what they are doing and do it very well, and just like their previous output this is a must listen.
If you like The Fierce and the Dead prior to the evolution in their sound on their last album, then this record is likely to be right up your street.
All in all, from start to finish this is a superb album. Lush, cinematic, with exquisite sound design and production, a band at the height of their powers shifting tone and feel expertly as each track develops. ASIWYFA seem to become more and more confident and capable with every release and this might just be their best album yet.
TRACK LISTING
01. North Coast Megafauna (6:28)
02. Do Mór (4:15)
03. Gallery of Honour (5:33)
04. Mother Belfast (Part 1) (5:52)
05. Mother Belfast (Part 2) (3:47)
06. Years Ago (5:15)
07. Any Joy (3:10)
08. Button Days (3:20)
09. Me and Dunbar (5:52)
Total Time – 43:33
MUSICIANS
Rory Friers – Guitar, Vocals
Niall Kennedy – Guitar, Vocals
Ewen Friers – Bass, Vocals
Chris Wee – Drums, Percussion, Vocals
~ With:
Michael Keeney – Piano
Arco String Quartet – Strings
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Velocity Records
Country of Origin: Northern Ireland
Date of Release: 9th August 2024
LINKS
And So I Watch You From Afar – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | X