by Zak Mercado (@ciaoguaglione)
One might hear Ulrika Spacek and not appreciate the pop sensibility underlying some of the harsher, post-punk, aspects of that group’s excellent 2023 release Compact Trauma. However, that group’s front man, Rhys Edwards, is constantly injecting that sensibility throughout all of his music. The Foreign Department is Edwards’ follow up to 2022’s impressive Flickering I, released under the name Astrel K. Under this moniker, Edwards’ pop sensibility is more transparently laid bare.
The name Brian Wilson gets thrown around a lot as a comparator, whether for vocals, album production, or the general mood of songs, artists, or records. Here, with Astrel K, the comparator is apposite. There’s equal parts pop sensibility, sweet melancholy, and beautiful song arrangements on The Foreign Department. Not many artists have that special sauce. From bouncy and fun Kraftwerk-influenced songs like “R U A Literal Child,” to cinematic score-like tunes, as on “Daffodil” or interstitial “C-Ya!,” Astrel K builds tunes with surprises and soul-edifying qualities.
The more cinematic tunes/aspects are reminiscent of Miranda July or Jon Brion soundtrack compositions. There always seems to be an underlying playfulness and surrealism to them. At the same time, they are bright. On the title track, this brightness slowly reveals itself, through slightly wobbly synths, crescendoing legato vocals, dreamy percussion, and lightly swelling string sounds.
On album opener, “Heavy is the Hand,” Edwards’ arrangement skills are introduced. The skill and musical understanding are applied through tension, through varying drum patterns and changes in guitar chord progressions. “Brighter Spells” slowly morphs into an ebullient, string-fueled climax. The tad of melancholy that appears and disappears is this tightening and then loosening of emotion. There’s a constant conversation, a dialectic.
On lead single “Darkness at Noon,” one of the album highlights, all of this pop sensibility and use of tension is displayed masterfully. The song opens with minor chords, but then moves into a bouncy mode for the verses. The constructed tension is also seen in the lyrics: “I know I want to be seen, but I hate most of all that comes out of me.” In the chorus, trumpet sounds are used to release the tension and carry the listener to the song’s highest heights. “By Depol,” in layered “bah bah bahs” and swelling strings, certainly merits a high quality resemblance to a Beach Boys tune.
Astrel K’s progression from his previous record to The Foreign Department shows an incremental move towards a higher plane of music. Edwards is truly a talent and everything he is contributing to is full of excellence, knowledge, and care. The Foreign Department is one of the great listening experiences released thus far this year. These songs are so well constructed; they, at times, cause awe. Any new listener will want more, and luckily Edwards has plenty to hear from, all of distinct quality.