On Friday, Brooklyn-based (Latvian-born) self-proclaimed “Vampire Glam” duo Astra The 22’s – expertly comprised of Kerija Kaleja and Eric Jayk – released their new EP, Paris Love. The 5 track EP begins with a hard guitar riff on “Creature”, Kerja’s raspy, dark vocals leading it all while the hard rock aspect of their instrumentals sets in. Eric’s vocals add another incredible layer, and we are immediately aware of the hard-hitting capabilities of the two. “Fake It” begins with the line “drive until I crash it,” and you know this song is one of those “I don’t give a fuck” tracks. As Kerja warns, “be careful what you wish, what you wish me to be,” the instrumentals build into a blood-pumping, hardcore track.
In fact, the entirety of the 5 track EP has tendencies to make you feel like a real badass. Even on third track “Paris Love”, which takes on a slower, more steady tempo, there is a layer of deep, hard percussion that really induces that head banging mentality. The dark undertones continue into “What You Do To Me”, if only because of the style of their vocals and – once again – the electric guitar chords. It is definitely the most pop sounding track of the album, as the duo sings about the insatiable power they – or other significant others – have over them. They wrap it all up with “Stranger”, a big and beautiful rock anthem that has such a hard beat, it sticks with you.
With several stand out tracks and a fun yet edgy aesthetic, we’re thrilled to see what is down the pipeline for this duo. But for now, we’ll just spin Paris Love on repeat.
Paris Love is available now.
