The Party After – “Blast Off” Launches a Fierce New Era of Dystopian Rock
2 min read
Out of the core of Omaha, The Party After has long been going in and out of rebellion and deep thought, and Blast Off does not doubt that their musical direction is not just ambition, but is bound to happen. Coffee consists of Jared “Badsquatch” Gottberg, Derek “Fooligan” Talburt, and Tony “Bony Tates” Bates, three longtime friends who have refined their sound through experience, musical missteps, and personal tribulations. They are inspired by Pink Floyd’s conceptual to Deftones’ physical power, and even into the unlikely reach of hip-hop. The Party After does not simply herald a new dawn with the release of Blast Off, recorded at Topetitud Estudios in Mexico City under the watch of the legacy of Tito Fuentes; they torch the page of what came before and start a new sort of rock story.
The Blast Off band uses the electricity of youths and the burden of consequence equally. It bursts out with a wall of guitars, twisted yet musical, drums that rage with urgency, and a bass that rumbles with the air of danger. There is a story beneath the crash and roar: the price of following the dream, the ghosts you make deals with when fame is so close, and the roughness that develops in the gaps between wishing and regretting. The song does not flow; it rushes, establishing rhythm and tension, but not with ease. Still silence, counting, low tones, heavy hesitations, and balanced moments are the oppositions to the onslaught, drawing you in even when the music fades away. The performance is not overindulgent, muscular, but there is room to hear every element. It is not just rock music- Blast Off is a call to self-determination, a song to all those who dream loud enough to wake up the world.
Blast off serves as a portentous gateway and an announcement of their next album, Dopamine Machine. The Party After does not invite you to enter their world–you are already in it, already strapped in, whether you like it or not. It is a story of giving up, putting it all on the line, and realizing that after the journey, it is very likely to break you down first, then rebuild you. The aftermath, the turbulent sky, the signaled loss, and the promise of the new are all predicted in the reverberation of the final chord. This person is opening their eyes wide to rock music and is not afraid of the mayhem it releases. And in Blast Off, The Party After has not only launched a single—they’ve even blown a roof down —and is inviting you to come and see for yourself.
English