Album Review: Pastel - 'Souls In Motion'
Pastel’s debut album is a tribute to a time now gone in British Rock.
The Mancunian band debuted in 2020, and since have come on leaps and bounds, earning sets at major festivals including the Isle of Wight, Victorious and the Manchester Psych Festival, all worthy achievements. But maybe their biggest so far is receiving a personal invite to support the Manchester and Britpop legend Liam Gallagher at his historic shows at Knebworth Park.
But they’re a band on the rise in their own right, earning #1 and #2 positions on the Official Vinyl Singles charts for their two EPs which have preluded their debut album, Souls In Motion, which releases on 17th January. It features fan favourites and live staples which have soundtracked their journey so far, whilst also introducing some new tracks for fans and new listeners alike to sink their teeth into.
One of those new tracks is Heroes Blood, kicking off the album in the way they mean to continue it. Resonant and squealy guitars led by a strong and assured drumbeat underneath a confident vocal performance by lead singer Jack Yates.
Pastel are rarely unafraid to wear their inspirations on their sleeves, evident on the next song, Your Day which features a slow and heavy drumbeat and a simple but memorable and effective guitar riff which could be plucked straight from Oasis’ Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. It has that sort of strength behind it making the song seem majestic and important, a rare atmosphere for a band to create in just their first outing. Dancing On A Pin is faster and a little more modern but manages to retain that power featuring a lyrical and vocal performance evocative of former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan.
Isiah follows, a slight change of pace, sampling more shoegaze and neo-psychedelic influences. Yates’ voice fades in and out amongst lighter and more explorative guitars. It illustrates their adaptability and is a perfect display of another string to their bow whilst still feeling like Pastel. It’s reminiscent of The Stone Roses, something the band will happily adorn, as Jack (singer) and James Yates (guitarist) first vowed to start a band together on their way home from a gig by the Madchester pioneers.
Deeper Than Holy was originally released as a single all the way back in 2021, but as an ever-present in their live sets, they feature it here. It’s a nice touch to sprinkle the album with songs they’ve grown as a band with. Fans have loved them live and the band has perfected their performances. In fact, guitarist James Yates says, ‘Souls In Motion was written over a 12 month period, where after work, we’d lock ourselves in our basement rehearsal room of Bunkhouse to write an album we feel people have been waiting 20 years for’.
Leave A Light On (A Velvet Storm) is the band’s most recent single and captures a different angle to the band. Starting out with just an acoustic guitar, a piano and more melodic vocals from Jack Yates. It’s feels like something out of The Verve's early catalogue.
The penultimate song Sunnyside is maybe the album’s most dynamic. Featuring dual lyrics, fighting for the listeners attention, it's one of the shortest songs on the record, but it really could have gone on for much longer. It leads into Souls In Motion’s closer, Escape, Pastel’s answer to Champagne Supernova all the way down to the sound of water trickling lulling us neck deep into a nostalgic guitar riff.
It’s a fantastic album, a flashback to a time and a sound now past in the annuls of British Rock history. It combines the thrash and confidence of Britpop, and the style and majesty of shoegaze, with a taste of psychedelic rock finished off with production that feels modern. It's a polished and assured debut outing for the band letting us know, that they know exactly what they’re all about. They’re a finished article now and will no doubt showcase it on their UK Headline tour across February and March. But they surely have even brighter futures and plenty of room to grow, change and develop. It's a record that represents where they are now very well, a sentiment summed up by James Yates - ‘It’s an album which hangs on the framework of our chequered upbringing in Manchester, and the positive dazed outlook we all now share.’
Words by Luca Jarman
