ASTRSK*’s “Cycles” EP Review

ASTRSK*, Charlottesville, VA-based up-and-coming singer/songwriter with attitude and angelic vocal prowess, just recently released the “Cycles EP” on May 7th, 2022. Within about a week or so, it has already widened many eyes and dropped many jaws for those who have heard it. I’ve been following ASTRSK* since I was introduced by a dear friend, musician, producer, and general sound engineer wizard, Gopal Metro, of Bella Morte, Gild The Mourn, and many, many other projects’ fame.

When I first heard Aster’s early works, at the time “CYCLES” (the title track), they were known as “GLITCH,” the name change comes as a fitting gesture, because this EP certainly soars to the stars. But the question is…did Aster earn their place in the cosmos? Or was this more of just a daring risk than an “asterisk?” (Please shake your head in disappointment at that one. I live for sounding like a really lame newspaper out of Spider Man or some shit.)

Let’s observe below…

(Image taken from ASTRSK* Spotify) Vocalist and general songwriter Aster Ellen presents us with a strong opening track, “FLSWAS,” setting the tone with a spoken-word-esque vocal passage which has a tone of one about to completely snap. As the punky, jumpy drum beat eases in along with this passage, that “snap” is presented in the format of instrumentation. From there on, the song is a mix of rocky guitars, upbeat drums, angelic, harmonized vocals, and other nice embellishments that definitely establish where Aster’s influences lie.

The following three tracks are nothing short of confirming this; Keeping the interest despite the guitars becoming maybe a little less present in the mix on a couple of tracks, we get a mix of sounds reminiscent of acts such as Evanescence, Paramore, a little bit of Periphery (the title track, “Cycles,” resonated with me as sort of a “Periphery I”-era sounding song, at least the guitars almost sound like Misha Mansoor provided them and just went for something a little more on the fun side as opposed to overly technical. Maybe it’s just the polyrhythms or accents…), and even some hints of acts like Saosin feel present.

By the time we get to the second-to-last track, “Girlfriends,” I’m convinced we’re hearing a modern Paramore track. The album art itself gave me hints of “Riot!” in its lettering and overall drawing style, to a degree, so hearing this song just nails it in to the listener that Aster clearly must be a Hayley Williams fan. But this is not to say anything Aster is doing is “ripping” from Paramore, in fact, this honestly feels like a breath of fresh air for pop rock-like music. Aster has crafted an EP that takes us back to the days when Warped Tour was the biggest thing, everyone was still obsessed with checkered Vans shoes and Converse, and everyone was still making fun of Nickelback. Good times, right?

The closer, “Back Alley Kids,” is an anthem to the outcasts and the weirdos, or so I interpret from the lyrical content. A strong message with a strong track to boot, this one doesn’t feel very guitar-driven, but rather a bit more on the electronic side. Hints of Starset feel like the main foundation here, though there’s many electronic-rock artists that could probably be related to the cocktail of sounds culminated into ”Back Alley Kids.” Ending the album on this one was a good choice, but I almost wonder if it would have more impact as an opener or even somewhere in the middle? Regardless, ASTRSK* has me sold that they have a good grasp on how to write solid songs, and even craft a full EP out of it.

(Image taken from ASTRSK* Instagram)

So, does ASTRSK* resemble a new constellation in the solar system? I’d say they’re definitely getting there. This EP truly shines with lots of potential and personally I’m excited to hear what ASTRSK* does with a full-length effort (hopefully) in the near future. Nowhere to go but up from here.

Even with perhaps a few small differences in the production, the power is present and this is one of the best first efforts of a newer artist I‘ve heard in awhile. All that glitters is gold, and this EP sets an exciting road for Aster. The almost cinematic nature of this EP also opens up the potential for a new Street Fighter game featuring “Cycles” as the main menu track…and I dare say ASTRSK* would be anywhat averted to something like that. Or would they?

8/10. Only shooting starts break the mold. Impressive. Very nice. Let’s hear Paul Allen’s EP?

You can follow ASTRSK* on their celestial climb to more breathtaking hits via their Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3arjcXJgT9MpuYjRKvNm5z?si=vuA1DExPT-uLCIk1xns7jg