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Photo by Matthieu Torres

Paris-based quartet Astral Bakers open the next chapter in their story with their second album, Vertical Life, a striking affirmation of the band’s evolving identity. Recorded in the U.S. with producer Sam Evian (Big Thief, Blonde Redhead), the record favors an unpolished quality, which allows the music to breathe, capturing the chemistry between the four members as if caught in real time. As the band explains, the title embodies “verticality as both ascent and vertigo, a pull between grounding and release,” and that duality runs throughout the collection.

Opener, "Healing," sets the tone with deep strings and a delicate rhythm, unfolding into a dialogue between male and female vocals that feels intimate and personal. Its chorus – “I’ll be living the vertical life again, easily” – introduces the album’s central theme of renewal, balancing fragility with forward motion. At the other end of the record, "Within a Heartbeat" closes with hypnotic restraint, layering minimalist textures and warm vocal exchanges that resemble a quiet therapy session between close friends.

The album also offers continuity for longtime listeners with singles released prior featured within the collection. Last year’s "A Dog in a Manger" revealed Astral Bakers’ gift for pairing sharp social observation with understated instrumentation. That single, led by drummer Zoé Hochberg on vocals, highlighted the group’s ability to shift perspective and experiment with voice. On "Vertical Life," that spirit blossoms into something larger: a voice where harmonies entwine, instruments shimmer, and each track feels like a shared confession.

Astral Bakers’ sound sits somewhere between grunge’s cathartic edge and indie’s introspective calm – proving themselves a band in full flight, unafraid of the wild heights or depths that come with truly honest songwriting. With live dates across Europe this autumn, Vertical Life is best experienced not just through speakers, but in the charged atmosphere of the stage- you won't want to miss it.