I first heard of the band After through an online friend of mine that asked me to check out their latest EP and give my initial thoughts on the album.  Here’s the skinny on After:

After was originally conceived by Jose Freitas and Brian Santner in the halls of the Los Angeles Music Academy.  Shortly after moving the fledgling project out to Orange County, they were signed to Skullr Records, and released their first demo and subsequent self-titled album.  They quickly exhausted the options available to them in the OC scene, and in 2008 decided to move the band to the epicenter of the music industry: Los Angeles.  A tumultuous couple of years followed as the band underwent numerous lineup changes, but in 2010 they finally started to gain some traction: they hooked up with their manager Don Hamister, released their second album, and pulled off a successful DIY tour.

2011 proved to be the band’s breakout year; they solidified their line-up with Matthew Denis on bass and quickly garnered a reputation for awe-inspiring live performances, with standing room only shows at The Viper Room, The Troubadour, and The Roxy Theater.  After crafting some of their most dynamic and musical material to date, they got into the studio with platinum producer Barrett Yeretsian to record their newest release, the appropriately titled Edges of the World.  With some serious momentum and an excellent team behind them, After is set to hit the ground running in 2012.

Edges of the World is a four track EP that includes a cover of The Doors’ classic “Riders on the Storm” and a dynamic, but concise trio of original songs.  The EP opens with “Days Ago”, a typical contemporary alternative rock sound, sans the pseudo-twang/Southern accent. For this track, think along the lines of Three Days Grace, Hinder, and Ten Years.

Next is the song “Bones”, which is the song that currently sticks out the most for me. It reminds me of a combination of Three Days Graces meshed with Cold and a smidgen of post-hardcore near the end of the track. This song is very single worthy and I think it could do well on alternative and rock stations across the country.

“Edges of the World”, the title track to the EP, has bits of contemporary alternative rock, mixed with some 90s post-grunge, but ultimately follows suit with the track “Days Ago”.  Nothing too significant here, but definitely worth a listen for those who really dig the current alternative rock scene.

The Doors’ cover of “Riders on the Storm” is a modernized alternative rock drenched cover that will keep those into the genre interested in the band, but may deter the more devoted Doors fanbase out there.   I think it would do well in my Under the Covers series.

For those anxious to check out After, you can download their EP for free below:

Want to learn more about After? Check out After’s Facebook page.

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