Magazine Sixty Music Review with Afterlife

Greg Fenton reviews Afterlife – Existential – Subatomic UK

It is precisely because Steve Miller’s music extends beyond familiarity that it does not merit contempt or the sheer boredom of paint-by-numbers. Instead, it inspires sounds to behave in unfamiliar ways, with an attention to detail that adds a passionate new conversation to the dialogue.

Unashamedly electronic and yet proudly musical, the sounds may wander into a swirl of suggestions but are never far out of reach, while carrying soul and meaning at its heart. The more I listen to this brilliant new album, the more the elements of classical discourse sweep through surpassing time.

I would still shy away however from calling this too chilled-out or even ambient, as much of the music has an intensely haunting warmth, sometimes combining the drift of melancholy with the thought of a brighter tomorrow. 19 Tones is certainly all of that.

I only repeat myself when it is worth saying, and listening to an album as a whole is something to be cherished. Perhaps even as an act of rebellion, given how we are supposed to treat music as a commodity. Existential alters that process, replacing it with something more human and, after all, surely that is the point of all of this, about our relationship with sound and how it shapes our lives.

There’s A Storm Coming is another great piece of brooding music fully charged, creating an explosion of atmospheres in the sky. Then comes the majestic Absolute, resplendent with elevating chords and a sense of deep history — one of my favourite tracks this year.

I love the dark edge of Midnight Express; its more sinister undertones really highlight the contrasts, tension, and resolution imbedded throughout the album. Along similar lines is Before I Sleep, though it lets in more light. Time’s Up features occasional rhythmic patterns from drum machines, while Lay Me Down ends on the pulse of bells, chimes, and the epic understatement of heartfelt keys — all of which proves to be sincerely uncomplicated and devastatingly good.

Release: November 13

Buy from Bandcamp