Album Review: "Dead Nostalgia" by Junior Astronomers

Dead Nostalgia by Junior Astronomers was released
on July 23, 2013 on Broken Circles Records

Following a band through the release of their first full length is always a glorious occasion for a local music lover, it creates a special connection with a band that allows you to truly observe the dynamic changes a group can undergo. Sometimes members come and go, sometimes sonic changes you'd expect are never made and sometimes they never make it to that fated full length record. But all in all you feel like you're truly invested in the band, and that's the way I feel with Junior Astronomers.

They're the little band that could, they put their nose to the grindstone, work their asses off and consistently release music that evokes a visceral reaction from their listeners. Most people feel strongly about Junior Astronomers and that's because the band pours every fiber of themselves into their music. Dead Nostalgia, the long awaited full length proves this.

Dead Nostalgia has been years in the making, the recording took place last summer at Greensboro's Legit Biz and brilliantly displays the ferocity and frenzy that led the group to this record. Countless tours have taken the band throughout the country and these songs have evolved throughout their years of touring, but it's allowed the band to finely tune the intricacies that make these songs so special and unique. While Junior Astronomers' formula may seem very cut and dry to some listeners--spastic and jaunty guitar riffs that serve as bedding for Terrence Richard's guttural shouts and croons--it's a technically impressive sound that seamlessly combines the grit of a punk rock act while taking the twists and turns of math-rock. Regardless of how you label the band's sound, they're undeniably a band that thrives on raw emotionality and that's what ultimately draws in fans of this Charlotte outfit.