Astral Bakers — Vertical Life, an Intimate Album Against the Rush

After introducing you to the Paris-based band Astral Bakers some time ago, they now return with their second album, Vertical Life — a record that nestles effortlessly into your ears and could easily become the soundtrack to just about literally anything.

Where their debut The Whole Story unfolded in soft-grunge shades of hazy folk and atmospheric rock, Vertical Life feels like a moment of arrival — both musically and emotionally. The quartet — Ambroise, Theodora, Nico, and Zoé — move as one: voices intertwine like quiet waves; guitars glow with a fragile boldness; and basslines root the melodies in warmth. It’s beautifully imperfect in the best possible way — organic, immediate, and deeply alive. Recorded in the U.S. with producer Sam Evian (Big Thief, Blonde Redhead), the album trades overproduction for honesty.

Every sound feels intimate and present, as if captured at the threshold between dream and daylight. It’s music that doesn’t rush and reminds us that there’s power in slowing down. “Vertical Life is both a call to life and a hymn to laziness. The outside world is too loud, too fast. The bed becomes a shelter to dream of it safely. But to live vertically again and to become someone, we’ll have to rise soon.” And that’s what this album feels like — a collection of dreamlike songs that stay close, bringing warmth and calm, like a slow walk with your best friend.