The Aftercare are a London based four piece of Tom Pollock (Vocals and Guitar) Ben Ashley (Lead Guitar) Charlie Arnison (Bass) Phoenix Ashworth (Drums). Four guys who met in school and are clearly taking their music very seriously.
Sunday Comes Around is their latest single and it’s a great example of cross-over Britpop with indie rock. The song starts with some beautiful stereo guitars that are layered and playing contrasting melodies. A beautiful warm and smooth bass is added, with some gentle and subtle cymbals and then some very distant reverbed vocals. At this point, the song felt as though we were headed for a very retro feeling instrumental.
Nope! At 30 seconds in, the vocals come in and the song takes on a totally different direction. A great example of a true Britpop style, with just the perfect tone on the guitars to sound authentic and Tom Pollack’s lead vocal having a recognisably London accent.
From this point on, Sunday Comes Around feels much more of a Britpop track and whilst the instrumental beginning was beautiful, it felt as though the band really came into their own at this point.
There’s a gorgeous breakdown within the song with some wonderful hi-hat work and a lead line on the bass. This is an extremely creative song that’s been well written and well performed.
The band are very clearly ambitious, with a showcase coming up soon at the o2 Arena in Islington, this is a four piece band that, although relatively new to the scene, are already on the right path.
From a production perspective, we’d suggest considering a boost of the kick drum at 60Hz to give the track a little more meat. Perhaps a cut centred around 600-700Hz to counter just a touch of boxiness in the track, probably picked up during the recording process. A little boost of the high-mids centred around 4.5-5kHz will add some extra presence and definition and also we’d suggest considering a boost of the top octave for a little extra brightness. It may be an idea to use a gentle compressor to get a little more volume out of the track to bring it more into line with commercial releases.
The Aftercare are a young and very promising act that we’re looking forward to, and expecting to hear, a great deal more of. With four talented musicians and a unique sound, what’s not to love?