Multi-talented singer, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist Alexander 23 floods listeners with a wave of emotions with his unrestrained, powerful debut album. On AFTERSHOCK, released Friday, the 27-year-old musician unpacks a breakup in a weighty body of music that never lets up on emotional depth. 

The 11-track album combined the musician’s signature sad indie pop sound with new additions of explosive rock anthems, lulling vintage melodies, heart-wrenching ballads and even delicate folk songs. 

The opening two tracks, “Hate Me If It Helps” and “Crash,” provide a grandiose start to the album with their clear rock influences — the former taking on a grittier rock sound and the latter, a more indie rock approach. The choice to open the album with two punchy rock tracks manages to pique the curiosity of listeners, leaving them eager to continue. 

“Cosplay” and “If We Were A Party” also draw on rock influences but lean more towards an early 2000s alternative rock sound. While “Cosplay” offers a euphoric, deceivingly upbeat melancholy track, ending with stripped-down, reflective vocals only accompanied by guitar, providing a sobering conclusion. “If We Were A Party” features powerhouse moments of raw and bright electric guitar over loud, victorious drums, creating an immense wall of sound. The track concludes with background noise mimicking a party and its abrupt, aggressive shut down, creating an epic ending to a collection of electric rock songs. 

Additionally, “Magic Wand,” “Everything’s Fine” and “Fall 2017 (What If?)” feature soft guitar melodies with sensitive, vulnerable vocals pondering retrospective themes all nodding to folk music of the late 1960s and early 1970s with a Simon & Garfunkel-like sound, creating an interesting subset of music on the album. 

One of the project’s hardest hitting tracks is “The Hardest Part,” which portrays the realities of coping with grief. Lyrics like “I guess the hardest part of getting old / is that some people that you love don’t” and “I thought we had more time / too busy growing up” articulate this part of the human experience in an eloquent but simplistic confessional. Notably, muffled vocals towards the end of “The Hardest Part” are slowed and warped with reverb, creating the feeling of time slowing down or being underwater, which cultivates a sense of numbness and dissociation.  

However, the clear stand-out on this album is “Fall 2017 (What If?).” The song includes a folk-inspired guitar melody reminiscent of “Blackbird” by The Beatles, which is just furthered by light McCartney-and-Lennon-esque harmonies. The last section of the song shifts gears with fading vocals, incoherent speaking, white noise and other various sounds until piano comes in shortly followed by stacked harmonies. The song takes on an R&B groove that masterfully juxtaposes the previous vintage folk sound, putting more emphasis on lyrics which highlight a fear of being alone. 

The album comes to a brilliant conclusion with “RIP You and Me.” As the lyrics recount the final acceptance of a breakup, unpacking the reality of an unhealthy romantic endeavor and the idea that sometimes love is not enough to save a relationship, the entire song builds to a massive ending stacked with a full band and melodic belts with soaring vocal lines only to fade out peacefully with a resolute piano line perfect for an ending.

AFTERSHOCK is a triumphant debut album that feels like an unfiltered, raw look into the heart and mind of Alexander 23. Each song conveys the universal emotional experiences of heartbreak, loss, fear and guilt that is sure to strike a chord with listeners.  

5 magic wands out of 5