After – 'Fell Asleep in the Sun'
After – 'Fell Asleep in the Sun'After beginning life on Hinge. Los Angeles duo Justine Dorsey and Graham Epstein quickly worked out that romance wasn’t on the cards, but that their musical chemistry was. Since forming After in 2023, they’ve been steadily building a dreamy strain of alternative pop that glances backwards without getting stuck there.
Their Debut album ‘Fell Asleep in the Sun’, which has just been released via Mom + Pop Music, takes that instinct and runs with it. While there might be plenty of late ’90s feels here, After understand that nostalgia works best when it’s an atmosphere rather than an exercise in impersonation. The result is an album that feels warm, familiar and immediately inviting.
‘Take Me to the Sunrise’ opens proceedings at an unhurried pace, giving Dorsey’s soaring voice plenty of room. ‘Promise (When You Go)’ follows with a wistful nod towards the melodic sweetness of Sixpence None the Richer, while ‘Metal’ throws a little more weight behind the guitars. Dorsey’s vocal cuts beautifully through the wall of sound rather than competing with it.
From there, After keep changing the temperature. ‘Breathe Your Air’ is a gorgeous ballad, ‘Fitfully’ skips along as a bright love song, while the acoustic pull of ‘Do or Die’ offers a welcome change of texture.
‘Secret Love Song’, is a tiny fragment that feels as though you’ve walked past someone with a cassette playing through their Walkman headphones and caught a few seconds before it disappears. It’s a lovely little interruption. ‘Open Water’ slows things down again before ‘Blind’ begins with Dorsey and an acoustic guitar, gradually opening up as the band arrives and Epstein takes a much larger share of the vocals.
There’s no attempt here to pretend the past isn’t part of the appeal. After lean into that late ’90s glow, but ‘Fell Asleep in the Sun’ works because there are strong songs underneath it. In uncertain times, perhaps a sugar hit of gorgeous pop and a dose of sunlight isn’t such a bad prescription.
The timing is good, too. After head out on tour just days after the album’s release, mixing headline dates with arena shows supporting The Neighbourhood. Australia follows over New Year, with their debut appearance at Beyond The Valley and sideshows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Melbourne has already been upgraded from The Nightcat to Max Watts following demand.
Stream ‘Fell Asleep in the Sun’ HERE.
