East Coast alt- electronic artist Ash Sales releases his highly anticipated album Reflections today, January 17 2025. The self-proclaimed ‘genre-defying’ artist from Gisborne brings us his perspective or ‘Reflections’ on a journey of self-reflection. This instrumental piece of work blends elements of rock, grunge, and EDM and would not be out of place at WOMAD, or even a world music festival in Raglan. Clearly a very talented musician, Ash Sales uses a mix of earthly sounds such as rain and bird songs as a background to his prog-rock like, storytelling guitar riffs.
The latest single from the Reflections, was Entropy, the leading track, which means a state of disorder (I had to look that up), starts us off on the immersive and harmonious listening experience, as it builds up to powerful ending. Reflections generally follows the same format until we get to The Human Experience, which includes a spoken word sample which sounds almost like a cult leaders’ rant on capitalism, this in my option is the best track on the album, it holds the attention with its quick guitar riff (similar to Big Love by Fleetwood Mac).
Reflections Is a cinematic soundscape for the escapists, the road trippers (the trippers), the gap year student finding themselves at a full moon party in Thailand and the technically pure guitarists. Its self-indulgent but also a challenge to the listener to look inside themselves in a meditative state and connect with Ash’ symbiotic story telling.
The album was recorded and mixed by James Rochester at Paisley Stage Studio in Napier, with mastering handled by Down Beat Mastering, ensuring a polished and immersive listening experience. Reflections marks a bold step forward in Ash’s musical journey, offering a deeply personal and evocative collection of songs that speak to the listener without words.
To celebrate the release of Reflections, Ash will embark on a nationwide tour, bringing his unique sound to audiences across New Zealand.
The tour kicks off in Auckland on January 25, followed by stops in Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton, and Tauranga.
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About the author Daniel Jones
Napoleon Baby is a song writing concoction of Antipodean and European inspired life. Presently residing in Tamaki Makaurau, playing songs about living in a different reality far away from the world. Influenced by from Nina Simone – Television, Edith Piaf – Queens of the Stone Age, Napoleon Baby will be playing shows across NZ and Australia in 2023. The debut album to be released later in 2023, with two more singles and accompanying music videos in May and June 2023.
