Replacing two members in your band might throw some people off, but not Osada Vida.
The Polish quintet played musical chairs after their 2013 album Particles by enlisting a new guitarist and drummer, and they continue ever upward. The After-Effect is their fifth LP, and it’s both sprightly and leisurely, attesting to their rock-led ethos of neither reinventing the wheel nor languishing in backwards-facing familiarity. Opener King of Isolation stomps with grit before enjoying a rendezvous with the poppier side of prog, whilst Lies lobs in some much-appreciated nods towards thrill-seeking adventurism. There’s a dollop of cheesy pomp here, however, with the Yes-on-a-bad-day I’m Not Afraid threatening to irk those buoyed by the record’s more enterprising metallic moments, but don’t let that put you off. And hey, there’s a string quartet on the menu too, with the grand Sky Full Of Dreams benefiting from orchestral hues. In all it’s a solid album that takes heed of bygone decades but with its head in the 21st century. If this is the after-effect (pun definitely intended) of replacing pretty much half your band, then maybe change isn’t such a bad thing after all.
