Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from Sweden’s, Avresa. Follow Through was released in November 2022.
We must draw attention to the accompanying YouTube video that accompanies this single. It has a sci-fi feel to it which depicts a vision of the future where the protagonist goes through strenuous mental and physical training to prepare for a daunting prospect – leaving Earth behind and setting up a new life on Mars.
Follow Through feels urgent right from the start. An instrumental section starts the track with a full band sound and a punishing four-on-the-floor kick drum which creates some great tension and excitement.
Dropping back to just acoustic guitar and vocals, Follow Through eases into a more gentle feeling track. The vocals are close and intimate. You can clearly hear an accent, which we always find very endearing in an artist.
Outside of Sweden, the word ‘avresa’ may not be so commonly known. In English, it translates to ‘departure for the beginning of a journey.’ This signifies the artist’s move towards solo work, rather than the four-piece rock band he was previously involved in.
The song builds nicely by adding in bass and piano and we were impressed at Aversa’s ability to create numerous sections within the song, which all help to maintain the listeners’ interest.
There are some lovely moments with panned acoustic guitars and panned additional percussions and we were particularly impressed with the toms work in various sections. The layered vocals in places add some extra dimensions, giving the song some more depth.
Ideas from our ears
A cut around 170-180Hz in the vocal track would reduce some slightly ‘boomy’ tones. Another cut around 2.5kHz would help bring down some occasional ‘harsh’ tones too, particularly in the lead guitar part. A final cut around 5kHz in the drum track would help with a little balancing overall. Lastly, a light compressor/limiter and a little make-up gain would raise the volume and add a touch more ‘thickness’ to the track. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Avresa’s single, Follow Through, is a highly individual and unique track which spans several genres. A song with many sections to delight the listener and keep them somehow both relaxed and on their toes at the same time.