Made up of Mette Lindberg on vocals and Lars Iversen, as producer, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour have earned acclaim and recognition thus far as the providers of advert soundtracks for the likes of Apple and Mad Men. Whilst their appreciation might be much more behind the scenes, their infectiously psychedelic twist on 60s soul fully lives up their unique extra-terrestrially- themed name and promises them to be remarkable, as far as unusual Euro-pop bands go. Past-hits including “Around the Bend” and “The Golden Age” that have featured on the aforementioned ads and many more, are the perfect starting points for a listener trying to get their head round the eccentricity of this third album.
The start of Bring Us Together and title track definitely does its best to show off the duo’s flamboyancy and that commercial success is not a factor that influences heavily in their music-making. The track starts with a robotic sounding voice talking, keeping consistently to the band’s cosmic theme in the lyrics. The following track, Navigator does much more for easing the listener into the Asteroids’ unconventional style.
Producer Iversen explained that the development and difference in this album’s sound came very much from production in tour conditions, with a portable studio only allowing for sampling instead of actual recorded instruments. This even more overt electronic vibe is present on the first single from the album “My Club” that’s an impeccably bubbly yet laidback track filled with delightfully psychedelic hooks. Lindberg’s voice and their electro-pop feel could be compared to a more unusual Euro-pop version of Scottish electro-pop trio Chvrches. Playing with Lindberg’s already sweet voice in “Get Connected” doesn’t really flaunt as well all that 60s retro-pop revival that has earned the duo success in the past.
“Hurricane,” on the other hand, is a much better example of why artists such as Amy Winehouse chose them to be her opening act in their home city of Copenhagen at the start of their success in 2008. It doesn’t do the unnecessary theatrics with Lindberg’s voice that features heavily on “Get Connected” and “Bring Us Together.” “I Am the Mountain” and “X” could really only be described to fall a little flat, in trying to possibly be ominous or moodier moments of the album but just come across as a little lacklustre.
All in all “My Club” as the first released track seems to be the highlight of Bring Us Together and tracks such as Hurricane and Rock the Ride trail closely behind. This third album is really a better example of why the duo succeed best when sticking to the framework of sound that kick-started their musical success but simultaneously that tracks “My Club” is a measure of their progress in massively changing up their production process.
Rating: 5.0/10
