Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, alt/punk/synth band Autogramm deliver “No Rules”, their second full length record which dropped this month. With almost hypnotic qualities, the catchiness and energy of these new wave inspired, synth driven songs grab you immediately.
Clearly inspired by the likes of The Cars, Gary Numan, Devo and other similar acts, Autogramm builds off the sounds of their inspirations with a unique combination of synth pop, power pop and punk.
The band states that “No Rules keeps with the band’s tradition of crafting singalong pop-anthems, while adding angular elements that are reminiscent of Ghost in the Machine-era Police. For the band, the album title refers less to a no-gods-no-masters set of rules as it does to a no boundaries aspiration. Instead of building walls, they want to build bridges.” At a time when building bridges is an admirable and needed objective, this is a refreshing approach for a band to take, and their fun and energetic music may just be the right kind of music to accomplish this lofty ideal.
The new single from the record “Mantra” includes all the musical elements discussed above, but also has an interesting theme: “The lyrics for ‘Mantra' are literally a mantra I made up to help clear my mind” – another refreshing purpose to a song, as we could all use some assistance clearing our minds these days and getting into a more meditative state to deal with the chaos we are all living through.
If you’ve been itching for some well executed retro vibes with a new flavor that just might help you push through your quarantine fatigue and find some inspiration to keep moving forward, then play this record loud, it will not disappoint.
The record is available on limited 12” vinyl and can be purchased here.
