Some bands just have it together, you know? You hear them play and everything just seems to work. Esthesis has that quality, and their new album Out of Step is yet another step up for their career. The record releases on October 31st.
I first encountered France’s Esthesis with their 2020 debut The Awakening, a good album in its own right. With 2022’s Watching Worlds Collide, they took a running leap upwards, and now their newest proves to be even better. The current lineup includes Aurélien Goude on vocals, keys, and programming, Arnaud Nicolau on drums and programming, Marc Anguill on bass, Rémi Geyer on lead guitar, and Mathilde Collet on backing vocals.
The band plays a nuanced and shadowy progressive rock that leans heavily into bass grooves and atmosphere. They always have subtle accents and distant sounds that add to the experience, and with Aurélien’s airy vocals (with Mathilde’s contrasting harmonies), their music can seem surreal and misty. I really like how every element they introduce strengthens this feeling. Nothing detracts.
I said it last time, and I’ll say it again: the rhythm section here is absolute fire. Marc’s bass is just so damn cool—I imagine it’s a blast to watch him play. But every musician in the mix adds life to the formula, from roaring guitar licks at the perfect moments to lumbering drums and delicate keys. Everything works together.
The album proper has eight tracks, but there’s one bonus song. It’s remarkably consistent from beginning to end, and while I favor the second half, my favorite song is in the first half. Weird. There are two beautiful interludes, “Fractured #1” and “Fractured #2”, that add to the swooning ambience, as well.
In the first half, we get the opener “Connection” with its leering and smooth sound, plus some whistling, which I appreciate since it’s so rare. The song is almost sinister at first, but the piano and gravy groove break out of that. “The Frame” is next, one of the singles, a rather emotional song with great backing vocals; as a side note, the lyrics remind me of writer/director Jamin Winans’ film of the same name—the lyrics seem to address the same sense of feeling trapped in “the frame” of a particular life, boxed in by expectations and societal constructs that keep us in line. Anyways, it’s a great movie and song.
The first half ends with my overall favorite, the title track. It has such a meaty groove from the first second, and the guitars join that rhythm, almost reminding me of Pure Reason Revolution’s wicked style. Throw in some cinematic and abstract segments, and the song is anything but normal, but still manages to rock.
But, you know, almost every single track in the second half challenges the title track as my favorite. “City Lights” is such an elegant, midnight sort of track with its effervescent piano and calculated guitar shades. It’s so beautiful. “Circus” is completely different with its quick and energetic beat, sweet bass work, and echoing vocal fireworks near the end. I love it so much. The closer “The Storm” is a ten-minute piece that sort of combines the two, spending several minutes on abstraction and burgeoning melody, but soon climbing into something fiery with an amazing instrumental, too. Also, bonus track “The Abyss” could definitely have been part of the album: it’s completely instrumental, and it reminds me slightly of “City Lights” in its grey, reserved style, but it is gorgeous with plenty of contrasts between riffs and keyboard melodies. It’s haunting and I love it.
Look, Esthesis needs more attention. They are quietly making some incredible albums, and I think any prog rock fan that gives them a try will be pleasantly surprised. Out of Step is an emotional and classy record that will both thrill and soothe you. I might need to grab a vinyl copy just to hear that bass.
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The PROG Mind 