Yesternight - 2017 - The False Awakening

(53:56; 12 Sounds Production)

Track list:
1. The False Awakening 2:47
2. My Mind 4:30
3. Who Are You 6:07
4. Solitude 4:56
5. About You 6:32
6. To Be Free 5:04
7. Yesternight 7:03
8. Lost 5:26
9. Just Try! 11:31

Line-up:
Marcin Boddeman - vocals
Bartek Wozniak - guitars, keyboards
Kamil Kluczynski - drums
with:
Tomasz Znyk - bass
Karol Tomas - vocals
Dorota Tomas - vocals
Filip Wisniewski - vocals


Prolusion.
Polish band Yesternights have a history that goes back to 2010 or thereabouts, but as far as I can tell they did not release any material in their formative years as a band unit. In 2017 they released their debut album "The False Awakening" through the label 12 Sounds Production, and as far as I can tell this is the sole album by the band as of 2024.

Analysis.
It is a widely compelling variety of progressive rock that Yesternight have chosen to explore on this debut album of theirs, and as far as the specific subset is concerned I'd say that neo-progressive rock is the one that fits the bill in this case. This is a band that focus on the gentler and more atmospheric laden kind of landscapes, but who also apply some bite and tension to the proceedings in a manner that started to get popular sometime back in the 1990s.

Clean and controlled lead vocals lead the way here, and in this case the tone, timbre and execution of the vocals remind me quite a bit of German bands RPWL and Sylvan, with the calm control of the former and with a tonality, melody and emotion more similar of the latter. A combination that is quite compelling indeed.

In terms of the music I do find that the same bands are good points of reference too. We get careful, delicate sections with a toned down guitar presence and a bit of a minimalist arrangement that reminds quite a bit of the more careful sides of aforementioned Sylvan, but also powerful sections of harder progressive rock with as well as without a bit of a metal bite that at times have similar features to the more energetic sides of Sylvan. We also get a liberal amount of more atmospheric laden, borderline dreamladen passages that for me at least come with some distinct similarities to the kind of landscapes RPWL are best known for exploring. Possibly with a little bit of a Floydian input to boot. With everything executed in an elegant manner, balancing the gentle and atmospheric laden tendencies with more bit, bite and tension efficiently.

As I'm going through a handful of albums today, I am very pleased about this one being another addition to the list of albums that have been given a proper mix and production. For progressive rock in general and a more atmospheric laden variety of the form that is explored on this album a good quality mix and production are essential features in my book, and that is another strong point on this solid debut album.

Conclusion.
It is too bad for the progressive rock fans out there that Yesternight only have this album out so far, as the brand of neo-progressive rock they explore is a tasteful and elegant variety of the form that also manage to add the bit and the bite needed to create contrast and tension that adds an additional appealing dimension to the landscapes explored. Those who treasure bands like Sylvan and RPWL in general and the landscapes they explored some 15 years back in particular should find this album to be quite the tasteful production. Especially those who have had the thought that combining the elements of those bands from that period into a single totality would be interesting.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, April 2024

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/yesternightofficial/