Uplifting and poetic folk-pop raises the mood from the outset, as Sonic Pulse Project introduce their third full-length album, the aptly-titled and often euphoric Afterglow.
Self-defined as presenting a rich and raw journey from crisis to catharsis, we begin our adventure amidst the mountains and the natural world, for the huge celebration and bold imagery of Chasing The Horizon.
Gentle verses set the scene, take you where you need to be, before a huge and colourful chorus injects an immense and hopeful earworm, inspiring freedom and travel, whilst leaving a simple sense of possibility and good vibes lingering in the space.
Acoustic tendencies back up the majority of Afterglow’s songs, and it’s not always rainbows and butterflies – there are moments of stark introspection, and thoughtful uncertainty; something made clear with the ‘fortress of despair’ touched upon, in the subsequent track Behind The Wall Of Glass. The imagery is strikingly opposed to the positivity of the opener, focused on loneliness, struggle, solitude, and the fragility of the heart. The song is comforting though, a folk-country melody and set-up offering an embrace to those who feel equally disconnected.
Ten tracks in full make up Afterglow, a project grounded by its familiar programmed vocal, and the pop-folk melodies that rise and fall like waves. Leave The Gravity continues the melancholic reflections, but also delivers a sense of needing to escape and evolve, with ‘let me fly’ resounding, for a hugely anthemic hook.
Employing a similar level of juxtaposition, and a personal highlight, Racing My Own Ghost moves from easy but uncertain nostalgia, through another huge boost of a chorus. From lostness to believing in better, we continue down this pathway, moments of anecdote paired with and countered by those of a more broadly relatable wonder. Then for the country twangs and raspier warmth of The Fire In The Bone, these vague and poetic but inclusive ideas reach their peak, offering a series of ideas and uplifting possibilities that can again be easily made the listener’s own.
Arrangement always matters, and the subtle genre changes work well throughout Afterglow. My Oldest Friend is a colourful and classic pop-rock anthem of togetherness and gratitude, while Like Never Before is a piano-led ballad, which again encapsulates the movement from quiet sadness to bursting beauty and opportunity. After this, the acoustic guitar and memorable riff-melody of My Love Will Find You provides one of the album’s most relatable, romantic and catchy mainstream gems.
Finger-picked acoustic guitar and echoing choir-like vocals lightly present a country-style story, for This Is What Is Real. Another impassioned anthem that’s easy to escape into, and which provides a sense of fast-paced excitement and belief in brighter days. This song is an infectious and uplifting highlight, whose chorus resounds with the album title and Gospel crescendo of ‘This is the Afterglow’.
Finally, a little more of a slick and stylish Americana guitar riff softens the mood, a low-toned vocal rising and falling one last time, with medieval poetic images laying down one more cinematic story, with a fiercely dramatic and evocative hook. A contemplative and mighty way to wrap up an album that seems to promise the very best of the Sonic Pulse Project’s repertoire yet.
Carefully intertwining the vulnerability of singer-songwriter intimacy, with the contrast and power of pop-rock, Afterglow meanders from mellow to empowered throughout its diary-like expression. It’s a finely produced album, shining light on the quick progression of modern songwriting and AI creativity, and it still holds closely to the heartfelt essence and intentions of all things Sonic Pulse Project.
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