Album: “Alight” by Ayriss

Ayriss; the dynamic music duo from Poole in Dorset featuring brothers Jordan and Damien, have recently released their highly anticipated third album titled Alright. They are set to make a triumphant return to their Rock origins, departing from their previously mainly synth-focused sound. The brothers have always surrounded themselves with music with many projects in the past including Sepia Daze, Traffic Cone Wizard, Gutter Rats and Ironic Encounter; as well as various solo and session work. Jordan’s fingers are literally on the pulse; as he is one of the masterminds that works at the helm in the Absolute Music Studios in Bournemouth, helping to bring together the many musical creations of a host eclectic artists.

The recording of the album was a typically long process with the brothers trying to juggle work; family life, writing and producing. This is the first record in which they’ve recorded live drums, with the others all done with midi pre-programmed drums. The album includes a few pieces of music Jordan and Damien wrote together a good decade ago and after raiding the archives, the ideas were reworked and put on some of the tracks for the album. Jordan explains Alight represents a pivotal moment in Ayriss’s musical journey as we embrace our heavier Rock influences and reignite the fiery spirit of their earlier band “Sepia Daze”; featuring driving guitar riffs and a relentless atmospheric sound.

The 9 track album opens with “Under Force, We Fold” which kicks off with a short sobering statement about depression “The worst part of hell is not the flames, it’s the hopelessness. And I think that is the part of hell that a person in depression really tastes. The terrible hopelessness that comes over.” A rolling guitar riff opens before Jordan’s vocal drifts smartly across the layered instrumentation with some thought provoking lyrics that come and are sung right from the heart. “Under Force we fold downing in darkness” and the track suitably ends with some dark, foreboding heavy-set rhythms. “Depending On You” opens with a raft of synths before heavyweight guitars and constant rhythms take over the central attention. Jordan’s voice changes considerably for the chorus; where is takes on a more absorbing power, pushing the lyrics straight out there. The lyrics feel personal and deep, giving an insight into the rollercoaster of close relationship.

“Re-Engage” shows off the diversity of this recording with a less heavy track that features some modern guitar elements and infectious rhythmic patterns, a track that could easily be from the more acoustic “Ironic Encounter” period of the Ayriss Legacy. “The Hurricane” has a rolling bass intro that has more than a passing resemblance to 60’s band The Animals “We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place”; and as these guys are far too young to remember them, we can put that down to just a pure coincidence. The track quickly progresses into a heavier Rock tune with the guys using their creative skills with layers of synths and powerful bursts of electric guitar. I can easily imagine this to become a live favourite, it has so many elements for an audience to enjoy.

The next track “Sit Down, Shut Up.” was released as a single a few months back, featuring a mouth-watering collaboration with South Coast duo “Opalites”. The explosive track showcases the incredible synergy between the two artists, pushing the boundaries of their combined creative expressions and adding an extra layer of excitement to this album. The cross-pollination started when Emily Howells of Opalites who works with Jordan, suggested they record a track together. The track features a collision of a host of different genres to create something that has a really unique sound. It has a partly synthetic industrial sound, along with elements of 90’s Grunge. There is a mixture of opposing basslines, along with cleverly enhanced guitar sounds. The electronic intro leads into a driving wall of sound before Emily’s powerful voice radiates over the instrumentation. Jordan’s enhanced vocals intensely take over and are a stark contrast. A truly momentous coming together of musicians creating a tune that is a celebration of both act’s alternative prowess.

The momentum powers on with “There’s No Need To Be Concerned”, another creative masterpiece where the clever instrumentation is bolstered with Jordan’s harsher sounding vocals and Damien’s unrelenting powerful drumming, with synths gliding delicately between the raucous noise of the Grungy sounding guitars. “The Best Times” is an optimistic look out from harsher challenging moments in our lives and features an atmospherically angrier sound. “Diversified” turns everything on its head with the same elements coming together to bring a different sound altogether. A wall of heavy sounds with Jordan’s potent effect-fed vocals towering over the top of it before the most significant guitar solo of the collection takes us through to a considerable close. The final track is called “Zen”, it is far from the peaceful and calm ending I was expecting. It’s another celebration of an impellent force that is critical in a relationship; its flowing melodic keys and hard struck drums along with vocal harmonies, paired with Jordan’s passionate words bring the album to a meteoric close.

I followed the career of the Ayriss’s in virtually all of the various projects and it’s great to see how they metamorphosize, from the Punk/Goth early leanings to progression of more Rock influences and now more modern acts like Muse and Royal Blood. The constant striving to create their own highly original sound using the many skills they have acquired over the years they have been performing and creating music is embodied here in this piece of work. Clearly a labour of love and something that the brothers can both be proud of, it is a body of work that needs to be listened to in full several times to enjoy many of the multi-layered elements that are featured here.

Track-Listing
Under Force, We Fold
Dependant On You
Re-Engage
The Hurricane
Sit Down Shut Up (with Opalites)
There’s No Need To Be Concerned
The Best Times
Diversified
Zen

Alight was released on to all major streaming platforms on July 28th 2023.

Links
https://www.facebook.com/ayrissmusic
http://ayrissmusic.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/@ayissofficial8115

Words by David Chinery (Chinners).