Syracuse based-duo Astronaut Aardvark Attack has released their striking sophomore album, Monsters and Meddlers.
Astronaut Aardvark Attack are brothers Pacer and The Stride, who have been writing and performing together for over 20 years. Their artistry is undeniably distinct, favoring catchy choruses and resonant lyrics set to a blend of bright rhythms and harmonic basslines.
Monsters and Meddlers features ten original songs, as well as a reimagining of “Maps and Legends”, a 1985 classic from REM.
The album begins with “Monster”, a previously released entirely instrumental single that leans heavily into the territory of futuristic synth with uniquely understated guitar.
“Hot Flash” is a standout track on Monsters and Meddlers. This lead guitar-driven song fully embraces the singular sound of Astronaut Aardvark Attack with its enticing chord progression and smooth, husky vocals. The chorus uniquely changes each time it is sung, first, “It’s a fever so hot it could / melt glass”, then later on repeated as “It’s a fever so it could / melt grass” and lastly as “It’s a fever so hot it could / sublimate trash.”
Following is “Entropy”, a track that is rooted in the sound of classic rock with a warm bassline and a strong bass drum. Though “Entropy” does not breach the unknown, with a skillful approach to a classic rock sound.
A far cry from any other track is “A Fog in Our Midst”, notable in its eyebrow raising blend of high, reedy bagpipes and smooth, thrumming bass. It is a blatant scrutinization of climate change deniers with clever and compelling lyrics, “Planet Warming from CO2 / I don’t believe it for a minute / It’s cold in winter, get it? / If I stop driving, will you?”
Monsters and Meddlers closes with a track that encapsulates the nuanced novelty of Astronaut Aardvark Attack, “Regret of the World”. The track begins with sweet, strumming acoustics before making an impressively smooth transition to heavy, gritty electric.
To listen to Monsters and Meddlers in full and learn more about Astronaut Aardvark Attack, visit here.
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