The Astrals finds French multi-instrumentalist Stephan Versini composing sweeping and sincere anthemic new wave-inflected indie rock with the assistance of British drummer Justin Welch, formerly of Elastica. The project was forged in 2012 from Versini’s insightful compositions with Welch adding emphasis through his powerful precise beats.
Stephan Versini had already made an impact in Los Angeles with his indie rock band in the early 2000s prior to returning to France in 2008. Upon returning to France, Versini quickly became involved in numerous projects while embracing modern recording methods that allowed him to write and record demos on the go. This fit his nomadic lifestyle perfectly and he found himself contacting Welch with an idea to record his compositions from his home studio in Southern France and have Welch record drums from a studio in Brighton, UK. In 2012, the duo began the recording process in earnest resulting in a myriad of recordings that Versini whittled down to tracks that would comprise the Astrals’ debut EP.
Versini contacted former head engineer of Mute Records, Kevin Paul (Nick Cave, Depeche Mode), to assist him in the mixing of the self-titled EP with tracks being finalized in 2013 including mastering by Doug Shearer, noted for his work with Kasabian, The Fall, and Gorillaz among others. With the finished product ready, Versini sought the proper outlet for the Astrals debut and found it in a digital release through indie label Brightness Records on January 3, 2014.
Mature, contemplative compositions meet a youthful vitality in delivery in the Astrals sound; a deluge of high octane indie rock with a chic new wave aesthetic that never compromises in sincerity. Lyrical and melodic themes juxtapose passion with reclusiveness, optimism with darkness, spirit with introspection. The unique sound found its voice through a diversity of gear including 80s synths and 60s amplifiers. A minimalist approach was taken in cultivating the lush sound with quick, dynamic takes and edits used sparingly. The resulting 5 tracks perfectly exemplify Versini’s diverse love of new wave, post-punk, synth pop, shoegaze, and Brit pop while offering mercurial musings between dance-able adrenaline-soaked beats.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
http://www.astralsmusic.com/
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