Review: Astels - The Meeting (Astels)

"Quirky", I hear you say?  Yes, that's the Astels (no relation of the legend Jeff) as this is the French spelling as they deliver their debut album, 'The Meeting' that's packed with Soul, RnB, pop-house as the explore a wide range of genres.

Théo (multi-instrumentalist and producer) and Camille (singer) have only been the Astels for a couple of years which makes this 13 track album more than impressive together with festival appearances at Le Weekend des Curiosités and La Crème Festival.

'Lonely' and 'Give Up On You' have the surprise appearance of the vocoder but we've got great vocals and production throughout and is it me, has this got a touch of Daði og Gagnamagnið vs. Amy Winehouse vs. Jill Scott vs. Sade about this?

Definitely hard to pin-down which makes it that much more interesting and it makes it a grower even if the album picks up a pace with 'Promised Land', ' Appetizers' (it's a bit cheeky this one) and the more obvious 'All Nite Long'.

These guys might not be musical hustlers (Ed. I wouldn't play pool with 'em) but your going to meet the Astels this year for sure.

Artist: Astels
Title: The Meeting

Release date: 23rd May, 2025

Label: Astels

Cat. No: ASTELS004

Format:  Digital / Bandcamp