Softcore/alternative rock outfit Boston Flowers has returned with their latest single, Afterlife, balancing crunchy chords and heady concepts in a release that crackles with the same raw emotive intensity as Death Cab for Cutie’s haunting release, I Will Follow You Into the Dark.
Riding a pulsative anthemic backbeat, the tighter-than-a-straitjacket instrumentals act as an intravenous shot of adrenaline while the vocal performance invites deep reflection on life’s frailty. Each listen peels back another dimension of inventive detail, confirming that despite the stiff competition in Brooklyn’s indie scene, Boston Flowers has the potential to hold dominion over it.
Their new single builds on the introspective ground they broke with Soul Creature, Fever Dream, and Cancer Man, all of which probe life, death, and possible realms beyond. As vocalist/guitarist Sam Trestman explains, his decade in healthcare and a near-death experience fuels the Afterlife EP’s emphasis on life’s polarity and its revolving cycles of transformation.
Since making their mark with 2023’s Mondegreen, the band have stayed firmly devoted to melodic alt-rock and a softcore edge. They may namecheck The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and Tame Impala as their influences, yet everything you hear in the Boston Flowers is of the powerhouse’s own cerebrally affecting design.
Stream the official music video for Afterlife on YouTube now.
Review by Amelia Vandergast