And So I Watch You From Afar – The Endless Shimmering (2017)

“We put everything we had into this record, it’s a dense and challenging album, an album to live with, one that we wanted you all to be able to find new things in on every listen.”

Since their self-titled release in 2011, And So I Watch You From Afar has been crafting a unique blend of boisterous and energetic instrumental rock, with heavy emphasis on guitar shredding and digital pedal trickery. As time progressed, the band moved towards more pop sensibilities with All Hail Bright Futures and Heirs, incorporating more vocals, and forging a more ‘singalong’ sound. Their most recent effort, The Endless Shimmering, is no exception to the band’s golden rule of energetic execution. Here, however, the band distills a sound not dissimilar from that of their earlier years.

It’s as if the band have reverted to their more visceral instrumental tendencies, but with a more mature narrative. ‘I’ll Share a Life’, a prime example and choice cut, brings the anthemic, jig-like sound one would expect from the band, but with a satisfying amount of sonic spacing, transitions, and chill-inducing harmonies. Unexpected breaks, aggressive guitar shredding, and suspenseful exaggerated crescendos are reinvented in classic ASIWYFA fashion in tracks like ‘Dying Giants’ and ‘Mullaly’. Digressing from the mayhem, ‘I Just Need Space’ is a refreshing, atmospheric track with an almost ethereal nature.

Combing cohesive songwriting, captivating transitions, and their knack for crunchy earworm riffs, And So I Watch You From Afar assemble another delectable banquet of songs that nicely nods to Gangs and their self-titled debut. However, with its exceptional sonic polish and craft, The Endless Shimmering is ultimately a more matured edge to the band we met almost ten years ago.

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