“Hips” is the lead single off Soma, the new album from Portland-based rockers Astro Tan. As the album’s blissful sunset/sunrise cover photo suggests, Astro Tan are on the serene and hypnotic side of things, at least on “Hips”. The guitar work, which emits a jangly elegance throughout, reminds me of John Frusciante’s work with RHCP. Slabbed with a dose of reverb, it’s subdued but also wholly effective throughout. Other lovable elements of “Hips” include the sonorous vocals, a fantastic sax accompaniment that comes out of nowhere at the two-minute mark, and a concise bass lead during the track’s final ten seconds. Other album highlights, like “Where Over There” and “Unleavened, Ch. 1 of 2”, flex touches of lush R&B and soft-jazz, respectively, with gentle guitar licks and longing vocals. Astro Tan are more stylistically ambitious than they initially let on; just dig into their new album – Soma – to see quickly that they are capable of some mesmerizing sounds. Stream it in full below:
