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From the stage alongside the ten-piece ensemble Balloon Moon Orchestra to his recorded music that has been acclaimed far and wide, Astles thoughtful lyricism and warm instrumentation has captivated his audience. Awarded with features on BBC 6 Music, PRS Momentum Funding and a publishing deal with Starwood Management and Sentric, his achievements are a testament to his talent, looking ahead to his upcoming debut album, made alongside engineer and producer Sophie Ellis.
For now though, we witness the glowing sounds of new single ‘When Life Catches You By Surprise’. Gentle bass and drum rhythms are the first to support Astles’ floating vocal performance, with soft electric guitar arpeggios being the next to join the wistful atmosphere. As more melodies and layers of vocals are added, Astles’ songwriting prowess begins to shine through the clouds. Eventually, in the bittersweet joy of the final chorus, your heart is warmed and your face is grinning.
Astles explains, “When Life is a song about falling in love with someone all over again. Life is always throwing unexpected things our way, some awful, some beautiful. This song was written in direct response to a moment of overwhelming bliss. It felt like I’d had my eyes closed for months, stuck in a dark room with the curtains closed, a permanent frown painted on my face. But all of a sudden I opened them up, the sun was shining and me and the person I love couldn’t wipe the smile off our faces.
Suddenly all simple things that had seemed pointless and mundane, burst with technicolour and I had a spring in my step. Drawing pretty pictures, throwing paper aeroplanes, dancing like no one is watching – all that cliche stuff. Life will catch you by surprise if you’re around to see it.
Me and Sophie Ellis, who produced the song, really pushed ourselves to go for our ideas and create something we hadn’t before. Musically it’s influenced by Pavement, Macy Grey and Old Hollywood string parts. It doesn’t hold back and goes for it in all regards.”
