PASTOBAL // NATURE by Actone

November 29, 2018

It’s almost December and we have a great treat for you guys today. This is something to keep you warm in the cold December night. The band “Pastobal” will release their next EP “NATURE” December 18th and I got to tell you. It kind of feels like Christmas came early this year.

This duo is not afraid to experiment with styles and there is no doubt that they use their talent for the greater good for humanity. Not afraid to speak their minds and talking about topics that all people should at least have an opinion about.

I know that the ideology and method has been compared to bands and acts like “Rage Against The Machine”. Yes, I can see where it comes from, but in my mind it’s a bit more Neil Young. The songs have a complexity in their simplicity that really speaks to me. The most impressive about their songwriting style is without a doubt the details in each and every song as well as extremely well written lyrics.

The EP kicks off with the track “Did You Know” and the whole atmosphere of this song swept me off my feet from the first second. It sets to tone for the rest of the record and truly displays the great talent of “Pastobal”.

“Do You Want” and “Funeral Blues” reveals a great substance and depth to the bands songwriting skills as well as their ability to keep their identity and at the same time a diversity in styles. The vocal work on “Funeral Blues” is probably the most honest, heartfelt and genuine performance I have heard in a long time.

The production of the whole record fits the songs well and I have to say that the guitar work on the whole record is outstanding. The timing and the understanding of a great guitar hook makes this one of the most impressive instrument performances of the year. There is not a lot of fancy guitar solos and “guitarhumping”, but it’s the understanding of the instrument, the placement of the guitar in the sound and the guitar sound itself, well… it’s perfect.

So, finally we have one last track. This could very well be a whole record of itself, but it’s not. It’s the closer for this record and it’s a cool, unique and surprising end to a great record. The song “Let’s Dance” is almost 21 minutes long (!!!). As all of our readers already know, I am a sucker for a great closing to a record and it looks like “NATURE” is the record who took this way of thinking to the next level. Not only do they challenge the sound of the rest of the record (and getting away with it!!), they challenge the listener to open their minds and explore alternative ways to songwriting.

As 2018 is coming closer to the end, it’s hard to say anything other than that “NATURE” is probably one of the most challenging listening experiences I have had this year. And that’s a good thing. In this day and age it’s easy to get your music out there, but it’s hard to do something brand new, something that leaves a mark and something that makes us feel, think, smile, dance and be sad at the same time. This record managed to touch all my emotions, make me think and at the same time I enjoyed every minute of it.

Until December 18, "Nature" is already in pre-order on Bandcamp, the platform of musical independence https://pastobal.bandcamp.com/album/nature.