And So I Watch You From Afar
Heirs
Sargent House (2015)
Sounds like: Summer vacation when you were 16 and didn’t care.
Score: 7/10
Let’s face the facts; Ireland always produces amazing and unique bands. The Thrills, Two Door Cinema Club, and Boyzone all come from there. One band in particular, that has got to be the best Ireland has created, is And So I Watch You From Afar. This Belfast four piece, progressive post-rock/instrumental alternative band will bring joy to your ears as you delve into their music. It usually takes a while for me to get into bands with more instrumentals than vocals but the moment I heard this one, I was hooked. Their music makes it extremely easy for you to drift off and think about the silly things that don’t even matter while giving it a listen.
With Jonathan Adger on bass, Rory Friers and Niall Kennedy on guitars, and Chris Wee on drums, these four men are a perfect match for creating music together. The band released their first self-titled studio record, And So I Watch You From Afar, in April of 2009. They started out on a record label called Smalltown America and in 2011, they moved on to Sargent House. The band has released four albums, with each one better than the last. But the newest one, Heirs, is what I’m here to talk about!
At its core, music should make you feel something, and this is the kind of album that makes you feel GOOD. The songs will have you tapping your feet or bobbing your head to every beat. The guitars will get you wanting to explore all of their music within seconds. My favorite song from Heirs, “Redesigned a Million Times,” has the happiest, bubbly vibe to it. Group vocals pull the whole thing together and make for a great scream along. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good scream along? The most popular song on the album is “Animal Ghosts,” which is the track that makes you feel invincible because of its wacky sounds that drill into your ears. It sounds like the song that would play through life on the last day of your entire high school career¬ a victory jam.
The first time I heard the clever, inspiring “People Not Sleeping,” I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to learn how to play an instrument because this is what music should be. But then I remembered that I probably couldn’t touch these guys’ musical capabilities and that thought soon vanished as the talented noises filled my ears. The seven-minute title track is by far the most powerful one of all. There are melodic parts where all you can do is feel the music in your soul. And then there are fast, rushed parts that remind you of who you are and why you’re here; which is obviously to be experiencing such a put together song, am I right?
While the band’s upcoming tour is scheduled in Japan, don’t panic- their live performances posted on the internet are just as amazing to watch! You can tell by watching these performances that these four men put their all into everything they do. It’s always refreshing to see a band that gives everything the same way that fans put their energy into loving them. With their unique, yet crowd pleasing sound, And So I Watch You From Afar is expanding greatly on the instrumental rock genre and making Ireland oh¬so proud. Please, do yourself a favor and give them, and their album Heirs, a good listen.
– Rhiannon Price
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