Release Date: 19th June 2020
Record Label: White Star Records
For Fans Of: Voyager, The 1975, The Midnight
It’s so often the case that after a promising debut release, each subsequent album becomes harder to write and can end in disappointment. London-based synth-rock outfit Kyros had no such issues with their third studio album and, coupled with some truly stunning visuals, Celexa Dreams is hard to ignore.
An album that blurs the lines between prog-rock and dance-pop may not be at the top of everyone’s list of genre mashups, but it’s resulted in a sound that would be equally at home in an arena or a nightclub. With deeply nostalgic ‘80s influences being introduced to modern post-progressive sounds, Celexa Dreams has something for everyone.
The album plays host to a collection of “short stories”, each underpinned with a thought-provoking lyrical concept from a fruitless romantic obsession to commentary on the toxic side of internet culture. The percussion-driven opening tracks ‘In Motion’ and ‘Rumour’ set the scene perfectly with songs that lay indie-rock riffs over funky bass grooves and pounding drumbeats and will immediately get you hooked on Kyros’ infectious sound. Celexa Dreams is an album littered with huge choruses and well-crafted song structures that will keep you on your toes to find out where each song is going next, and tracks like ‘Ghost Kids’ and ‘Her Song Is Mine’ will leave you in a much more tranquil space to collect your thoughts before being thrust into more prog-rock bangers.
Perhaps the only real downside to the album is that the songs do seem to drag on slightly longer than they need to. There are some truly incredible songs on this album, but there’s a couple that last 10-15 minutes and are verging into art-pop territory with their complex structures and soundscapes. The downside to long songs is that they use up a lot of fresh ideas in one go and so as you get to the latter stages of Celexa Dreams it becomes an album devoid of originality and feels slightly repetitive – however, that’s not necessarily a bad thing seeing as the ideas Kyros are repeating are bloody good ideas.
Celexa Dreams is a musical concept that really delivers on every front. It’s catchy and polished enough to appeal to indie-pop fans whilst at the same time providing an array of powerful riffs to keep even the most die-hard prog-rock fans fully hooked. You’d be forgiven for dismissing a dance-pop / prog-rock combo as something that really shouldn’t work, but just one listen to Celexa Dreams and you’ll find that it really, really, really does.
Rating: 7/10
Recommended Tracks: Rumour, Ghost Kids