Post hardcore band, Afterglow invading the air waves and melting faces

Turn your volume all the UP, get your playlists ready and prepare to be smashed in the face with a wave of killer sound!

Meet Afterglow, a post-hardcore band from Mexico. The band just released their newest single,  “Dissonant Echo”, which is filled with smashing riffs, melodic, yet liquefying vocals and a total amped vibe.

Not the Girl Next Door Show had a chance to interview Afterglow and talk about their new single, dig a little deeper into the depths of the band and find out what the future holds.

Tell us a little about the band, where are you from? How did you meet? 

The band was created by the guitarist (Erik) and the vocalist (Albano) after they became friends recording Albano’s previous band in Erik’s studio in Mexico City, then during the pandemic, they recruited a bass player (Mariano) and drummer (Aruh) to play and record some live stream shows. We all come from different places in Mexico and our guitarist is Spanish. 

What kind of music would you describe your sound as? Who are some of your musical influences? 

We’re a metalcore band, essentially. We like all kinds of music from pop to electronic and even world music, so we like to incorporate some elements here and there to spice things up a little. Our influences vary from member to member but we can all agree on Architects, BMTH, ERRA, Northlane, Silent Planet, Karnivool, Sleep Token, Loathe, Thornhill etc 

Let’s talk about the newest single “Dissonant Echo” (I will post the single with the video link to promote it on the webpage) 

This song doubles down the intensity of our previously released song “Like A Wave” in a way that combines the electronic thick bass with the actual guitar and bass. It takes our sound into a more elaborate approach blending heavy intricate riffs with dreamy atmospheric guitars and synths. Its introspective lyrics and energetic mood captured in the vocal lines makes it easy to remember and sing along. 

Tell us what the song is about and what inspired the song? 

This song is inspired by the dissociation of the real world and our virtual lives. The hectic nature of our modern lives makes a dent in our capacity as humans to control our feelings, dominated by the dopamine rush and devoid of critical thinking. It’s just a cryout for people to reflect more upon how technology has distorted our perception of the world. 

How does the collaboration process work as far as writing/composing music? 

For the most part we bounce ideas back and forth between the members and we work individually on the parts. We record, produce, mix, master ourselves, so we switch from writing to actually recording on the spot. Our drummer records his drums at his studio based on the demos and the guitarist mixes and masters the tracks. 

How does it feel when you put all your hard work to the test and perform live? Do you have any crazy performance band/fan stories? 

While we haven’t actually played to a live audience yet (only a pre recorded live-stream), we are already planning to play in Mexico City very soon. 

In 2016, our vocalist played in Corona Hell And Heaven festival with our guitarist as a guitar tech. The show was starting at 12:30pm and the pit was nearly empty, but by the third song, the crowd was rushing to our stage to check the band. By the end the crowd reached beyond the sound tent and we couldn’t believe the response. Not much time later, that band split up and Afterglow was founded. Hopefully we’ll have more experiences like that to tell you in the future! 

Let’s shake it up a little. Tell us some strange facts about the band, that virtually no one would know. 

While we are from Mexico, it appears we’re mostly listened to outside of our home country, it appearing only at the 10th spot. Weirdly enough, our most popular city is Helsinki, while Finland is not even on our top 5 countries. 

We speak a total of 6 languages combining all band members (Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, Japanese and Hungarian) at varying degrees of proficiency. 

We have released a few songs where the only human in the recording is the singer.

What do you have planned for the rest of 2022? 

We’re still have two more singles to release during this year, while we are still writing and recording our debut album and planning our first live show by the end of the year.

By Not the Girl Next Door Show/Angela Mockbee

Afterglow Facebook

Not the Girl Next Door Show Facebook

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