ALBUM REVIEW: Affinity With – Pleiades
Manchester-based post-hardcore outfit PLEIADES turned some heads with their debut EP All At Your Mercy back in 2019. After a few years cutting their teeth and refining their sound on the live circuit, the quintet are now poised to unveil their full-length debut entitled Affinity With, which is due for release on September 29th. How will this release build on their already expansive sound?
Honeyguide offers comforting, warm tones accompanied by a soothing yet sinister vocal narrative. Just as you are getting relaxed the track bursts into life with vivid but jarring intensity providing quite the contrast in styles. Siberian twists and turns, immersing you in its intricate complexities whilst still allowing each instrument to breathe and have their own moments of prominence – a skill that is not easily achieved. Stomach has a sense of urgency and immediacy to its tempo, diving straight into a string of impressive bass lines supported by slick drum sequences. Its demeanour becomes more crazed and frenzied as it progresses, masterfully bolstered by the layered vocal instances towards the latter stages.
This technique is also well utilised in the proceeding Looming, allowing for a vast array of emotions to copiously spill onto the canvas. The juxtaposition of harsh vocals layered over bright, energetic riffs proves to be particularly captivating. Universal opts for a more minimalist, spacey approach that works wonders in grabbing your full attention. Close your eyes, drink it in, but don’t get too comfortable. Amos Clift is packed full of groove and emotive flourishes. The dramatic punk-infused pacing allows for the ideal opportunity to get a crowd moving. Just as it feels like the track may be winding down it erupts into a euphoric crescendo.
Honeyguide II reprises the thematics of its first instalment with additional sharp shocks and shifting time signatures to keep you guessing, gradually building into a web of technical brilliance, delicately blended together. Treppenwitz is a short but sweet pocket rocket crammed with plenty of firepower. Impassioned vocal passages elevate this piece in emphatic fashion. Tongue displays PLEIADES at their most intimate and vulnerable. Sombre, acoustic tones reel you in before the track unexpectedly pounces. No Living Thing is almost an amalgamation of everything which has brought us to this stage – the light, the dark, and everything in between. The spoken word segment helps tie everything together in what is an enthralling but poignant conclusion to this journey.
It is evident throughout that PLEIADES take great pride in their craft. Affinity With is brimming with intellect, passion, and precision that deserve considerable time to be digested and appreciated. Each track tugs your emotions in various directions with its thoughtful lyricism and deftly balanced instrumentation. It may not all click at once but rewards listeners who persist enough to dig deeper.
Rating: 9/10
Affinity With is set for release on September 29th via self-release.
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