Aster Tracks

Ever heard of Sara Henya? Yea, I know, she’s criminally underrated right now at fifty monthly listeners on streaming. Who she is is a dream and folk pop artist and harp player from Philadelphia, PA who seems to have gotten her start on her YouTube channel and went from there. I personally was drawn to this record by the cover art alone but what I found was so much more. Henya’s music is atmospheric in a way that the scenery she’s singing about in her bard-like presentation is a place she can just about transport you to. I can see myself at the pond on the first track and it isn’t just because of the sound of dripping water or bubbles popping, though I’d be lying if I said that didn’t help. There also seems to be some sort of narrative being told through these tracks but it’s fairly thin and hard to transcribe. All of the fairytale aspects aside, Henya is just a general talent in both her harp playing and vocals; “Walk Through the Woods” is one of the best vocal performances I’ve heard ...

Seattle, WA’s metalcore act Designer Disguise has released their second full length record; Elswaer . My relationship with Designer Disguise has been a bit outside-looking-in up until this point as while this is my first exposure to their music I’ve been hearing about them for quite awhile via the New Noise Podcast, which I personally use to find new records myself. So with the release of a new album and it being regularly advertised to me I thought it was finally time to give this one a listen hoping to find a new metalcore band to champion in a genre I’ve kind of grown weary of over the years. Unfortunately I walk away from this record ultimately unimpressed. Now, to start on a positive note I will say my experience isn’t totally negative. A lot of the electronic aspects of this record, while a bit cheesy once in a while, actually do really grab me and draw attention to highlights of certain songs. Designer Disguise is also exceptional at tension and build up to the heavier sections ...

Ada Rook, one half of Black Dresses, has teamed up with singer, songwriter and pianist Ash Nerve to form new group; Angel Electronics. The band self-describes as “brutal euphoria wave” and, to me, bears resemblance to certain pockets of MySpace bands; see I Set My Friends on Fire, see EATMEWHILEIMHOT!, those types of bands that had this euphoric sensibility that could erupt into a circle pit at any moment with no warning. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I came into this record as a Black Dresses fan wanting to hear more from Rook and she definitely didn’t disappoint. The guitar and bass she provides on this record often offer more than just a cool performance as they help form a constant contrast between fun pop rock songs and then dipping your toes into some hardcore. In spite of why I showed up, however, Ash Nerve really proved themselves to me here. Vocally they keep up with Rook incredibly well and have this beautiful, angelic energy to them. That and I can talk all day about ...