I’m not sure about how much a mature, well-oiled and well-travelled band can improve or grow artistically and technically, but this is exactly what UK band, Free From Gravity, have achieved on the brand new album “Step Into The Sunlight”. With this album, the band still uses catchy music and ear worm melodies, only this time to deliver more complex and profound ideas. Led by founder and front man Vince Barnes, and completed by Philip Estell (Drummer), Urszula Filipowicz (Keyboards/Backing Vocals), Roger Cooper (Lead Guitar) and Andy Stratford (Bass Guitar), the band has a knack for combining dark lyrics and light melodies, while the soundscapes move between dreamy pop arrangements and spare rock grooves.
Their narratives go from sad to melancholy and inspiring true life stories, most of them extremely personal. Lyrically, Free From Gravity pull no punches, they just disguise the source material in such gorgeously voluptuous musical arrangements that it takes a couple of listens for you to peel away the vibrant colors and discover the bare canvas beneath.
It’s brilliant actually, as the music seems to paint one picture while the lyrics depict another once you listen very carefully. The good thing about, Free From Gravity is they do have a unique and definitive identity and this album proves it
Making sophisticated pop-rock with thoughtful lyrics covered with candy-coated harmonies is like being a character actor trapped in a leading man’s body. It takes as much restraint as it does exuberance to succeed in plying this delicate balance correctly.
But this is exactly what makes multiple listening of “Step Into The Sunlight” such a true pleasure, as you peel away the layers an uncover its consistent core. It also is what gives the album a marvelous shelf-life – not something to underestimate in a time dominated by throwaway singles.
“Step Into The Sunlight” gets the delicate mix right, becoming progressively more complex as you go back and forth through the album, delivering pure shimmering pop like “Behind Those Lines”, “Tea, Coffee or Something” and “It’s Over Now”, as well as glimpses of the band’s rock ambition in thrilling songs as “Dance With Me”, “Saints and Sinners” and “Step Into The Sunlight”.
All the while, Free From Gravity pairs joyous melodies with thought-provoking content in ever-increasing complexity and lets you find your sweet spot. But here’s the thing: You will find it!
What makes Free From Gravity unique is simply how they approach the genres of pop and rock. They have this adoration for simple, but fleshed out music settings, paired with luscious harmonies, and retro melodies. I feel like they focus on the idea of blending 60’s psychedelia and modern-day dream pop, something beyond which we can completely anticipate during our first few listens.
Their music sounds kind of like a sonic ride between two distinct galaxies, each as mysterious and intriguing as the other. I cannot wait for more to come from this band, as they continue to show the potential for absolute greatness with their genuinely contrasting lyrical and musical style that leads into vibrant melodies and rhythms…with a twist!
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