ATOMIC SWAP

Lead singer Ruud Stoker and keyboard player Julian Driessen may be the only people still there from the line-up which released 'Louise Brooks' all the way back in 1992, but since the new line-up got together a few years back they have been incredibly consistent with this the third release with the same musicians. The only minor difference is that backing singer Laura Eradus has been allowed to take the lead role on one song, "Lost In Your Mind", and I would really like to hear more of that in the future as she is full of confidence and power, somewhat similar in some ways to a young Tracy Hitchings, although more in approach than sound.

I haven't heard the last album, 2023's 'Contemporary Vintage', but I did review 2022's 'Sygn Yn' and there is no doubt in my mind there has been a significant positive shift since then. Here is a band who have never moved too far away from their Neo roots, often mixing them with a more AOR flavour, and in many ways, this takes me back to the 90's when they were on SI Music (along with loads of other great bands, I do miss that label). One could argue they have not progressed much in their musical tastes, yet there are few bands who can really say to be ploughing this particular musical furrow as they have often moved into very different areas indeed, so it is nice to see a band sticking with what they know. No, it is not truly essential, but at the same time it is a very pleasant prog album and while never earth shattering is something which the listener can play and enjoy first time through without working too hard and there are times when it is really nice to be able to do just that.

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