South African groove-rockers' concept album tells the story of life over the last two years as one of their country’s hardest working bands.

Since the release of their first album back in 2016, After Robot have been busy compiling their story into their latest offering, Sirius Fairytales and Dreams. Recorded at Cape Town’s Academy of Sound Engineering back in July with award-winning sound engineer and producer Peter Pearlson, the album is set for release before the end of the year.  

Sirius is a fictional story, verging on a theatrical piece, drawing influence from what the band have experienced over the past two years, from their struggles in getting to America to playing Saarang festival in January.  After Robot pride themselves on creating music that doesn’t stick to the norm and encourages their listeners to think a little – something which Sirius excels in.               

Opening track “Witches Curse” is the heaviest track on the album, taking its influence from a dubstep backbone and turning it into a rock song featuring one of multiple catchy riffs on the album.  It bursts forth and sets the stage for the album, beginning a punchy, driving theme which is carried through on many of Sirius' tracks.  Between titles, the theatrical side of the album is fully realised with the story being narrated by “Mr Ooga Booga”, tying the songs together over a beautiful instrumental which shows off guitarist Joshua Pearlson’s skills on the strings.  Songs “Waiting for the Rain”, “Lady in a Blue Dress” and “Uncle Sam” showcase why After Robot were named the pioneers of groove-rock, with “Waiting for the Rain” featuring a guitar vs harmonica solo between Pearlson and vocalist Clifford Bryan.  

Track number three “Coming Home” slows things down and is more reminiscent of a ballad - one would not be surprised to see people holding lighters in the air during a live performance. The power behind Bryan’s voice shines through, and bassist Jacques Jacobs’ prowess over the low-end is brought to the forefront during this track.  “Desert Rose” - the ‘dark horse’ of the album - continues the softer theme during the verse, but reignites the punch in full force during the chorus, featuring a multi-tonal drum sound created by drummer Wayne Swart using a new approach and recording with a double snare. Track six, Sirius' title track, brings forth a darker element to the album, which is revisited on the band’s cover of the theme from 1984 film Neverending Story - yes, you read that right – and eighth track “Scream”, with this element exploring the entirety of Bryan’s vocal range.  

Closing track “Chenni”, a song which comes across as being written about a woman but was in fact written about the city of Chennai, ends the album with a tale of a city which is ugly on the surface, but which the whole band fell in love with during their time in India at the beginning of the year.  A soft introduction, building with layers of cymbals and Bryan’s soaring voice, the track explodes into a groovy, sexy rhythm which closes the album with a bang.

Listen below for a world exclusive airing of future single “Waiting for the Rain”:

Photo Credit:

Jacques Schutte

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After Robot: https://www.facebook.com/AfterRobotSA/