Ashley Ray Simon’s ‘Terra Santa’ is an Atmospheric Alt Rock Exploration

Ashley Ray Simon is a singer-songwriter and an alt rock artist. His music forms along the vein of The Arctic Monkeys, Cigarettes After Sex, and Hozier. He has an exploratory style, his tracks journeying through the thick of the emotion with an unabashed vulnerability. There is literally no veil or curtain between his feelings and the art. It’s circular, unfinished, messy, and softly chaotic because we get to be part of the becoming. It’s quite beautiful how he is able to cast his emotions in the atmosphere of the song, in the mood of his voice. In some of his tracks, you don’t even have to pay attention to the lyrics to understand the emotion.

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His latest release is ‘Terra Santa’ , a seven song album that is intense and passionate. It explores themes of love, attraction, lust, heartbreak, and everything in between. There is such a voyaging depth in these tracks. A wilderness in his vocals that opens up all around you. He doesn’t hold anything back. In moments of grief, he claws and scratches, in joy and wonder, there is a luminous lift. With a poetic flavor and a lamentous sensibility, he sets out quite the collection for us to enjoy.

‘She’ introduces the album. It has sharp and expressive guitar lines that wander and explore like branches of a tree. The atmosphere is that of dusk, shrouded in a darkness that feels like it’s closing in. With poetic imagery, deep baritones and performative finesse, he sets out the track. The emphatic notes and the landing vocal punches take you back to Hozier’s vocal style and evocation.

If the previous song formed in a moody dusk. ‘All Night’ forms in the moments leading into dawn. The darkness expands, lightening and fading away. Delving into a complex love, an attachment that is but is not to be. Dangling in that incomplete space with complete emotions, two lovers spend the night. Feeling the pull of love and attraction but also the force of pain and parting. The atmosphere is light because it forms in the moments of comfort, in the joy of each other’s company.

‘Running’ is a slow acoustic burn that unpacks lost emotions. The melancholy runs deep, set off only by the light acoustic speckles. This track is refreshing despite the heaviness in the vocal themes and emotional spaces. It is grounding yet dreamy, kind of fantastical while also being so powerfully real. The last track is ‘Fire’. Made with glassy tones, minimalistic grooves and a light atmosphere, the song is dazing. The artist manifests the theme with a very light hand. His vocals are reminiscent of Leon Bridges and Daughter. A feeling of deep wisdom and kindred sensibility, matched with a dispersing sphere. The song feels like a cloudy sky, heavy with rain. The melancholy of the vocals are striking.

The album also features edited versions of ‘All Night’ and ‘Fire’, powerful and profound. Definitely make sure to check those out as well. The artist’s stylistic scale is expansive. And so is his vocal work. There is so much dynamism, dimensions and depth that its spirit changes with every song. Such a prolific artist and vocalist. So fearlessly himself and authentic in his craft. Listen Now!