Floridian three-piece Existential Threat have just dropped their second studio album, Abstract Naturally, the follow-up to their 2024 debut, “Chaos Idea,” and recent summer single, “I Need It Bad.” Packed with fourteen upbeat and quickfire tracks, this album feels like an absolute flashback to the golden age of pop, rock, and folk, with an alternative twist hidden in its midst. Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
Opening track “On A Mission” serves as an instant blast from the past. A modern pop song sounding like an analogue-recorded classic from the 60s? Surely, it’s not possible. But Existential Threat nail the vibe completely, conjuring atmospheres comparable to The Kinks and early-career Beatles records, with the catchiest edge imaginable.
This record offers a needed and exciting return to old-school songwriting; the band layers their vocals through almost every track to create that vintage sound we all secretly crave, the record’s artfully tinny production only adding to the throwback atmosphere.
And, there’s something unexpectedly punk about it all. Perhaps it’s the band’s rebellion against contemporary pop and their refusal to fit the norm, preferring straight chords over complex harmony, which, when delivered by a rock band, screams an organic, soul-driven love for raw, impactful, and uncomplicated music. This band writes tunes you can dance to, sing to, or even wash the dishes to, with its core focus placed on spreading a bright sense of joy. Music doesn’t need to be deep if it’s as catchy and uplifting as Abstract Naturally.
The ballad, “Clock In The Rain” verges on sounding like The Zombies, with an unlikely hint of Radiohead thrown into the mix; its odd title becoming a metaphor for dysfunction under a cyclical sense of pain. Except, even this concept comes with a strangely upbeat backdrop, which enters full swing on its fast-paced follow up, “I Never Would Have Known.”
Lyrically, Abstract Naturally centres around age-old concepts of love and breakups, affairs and realizations of the heart, each song’s story as relatable as the last, capturing themes as deathless as they were in the 60s. But, again, Existential Threat spare little time for mournful dwelling over lessons learnt, mountains climbed and more, instead elating listeners through their undeniably cheerful and light-spirited sense of song. Track 8 epitomises the band’s sunny angle through its verse-opening line, “I know you hate me, but I’m really not upset.”
A solid atmosphere and personality runs through the entirety of this record; each song a perfect complement to its predecessors, with the band completely self-assured in their flashback sound – all the way up to the album’s final track, “Ordinary Train,” which feels like a fresh release from the heartache circled throughout the album.
But what do we really think? Existential Threat have delivered one of the most infectious, vintage-inspired releases we’ve heard this year, and we’ll be damned if this band doesn’t claim the recognition they deserve.
Our verdict? Highly recommended.
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