22AD – See The World

 

 

22AD – See The World
Self-released – 2026
Rock, Stoner, Grunge
Rated: ***

I don’t know about you. But the band name 22AD immediately reminded me of Alain Johannes’s fabled studio 11AD. And listening to their new album See The World there is absolutely a moment here and there that will surely lead you to think they might be fans and named their band thusly. On the other hand, a lot of what they might have in common with Mr. Johannes might be in the ears of the beholder, although the album also definitely hints of love for that other fabled studio: Rancho De La Luna… 

And continuing the talk about studios, it was recorded at Far Out Sound Studio in Rotterdamn, run by Baardvader’s Niek van den Driesschen and mastered by the one and only Karl Daniel Lidén. The result is a powerful blend of grunge, alternative nineties and stoner captured in a highly melodic jerrycan of diesel. There is a lot of fuel running through See The World, and once on the stereo, it will surely make you kick the accelerator through the cracked asphalt and let it be the soundtrack for your long haul across an imaginary desert. 

Brooding melancholy, detached commentary, all laced with sun scorched riffs that seem to roll on like a heat waves over endless dunes. There’s groove here, riding the sandstorm, but the melodic overtures are never buried beneath the dust. The songs breath and exhume, never bludgeon, never smother. Warm bass lines, and earthy guitars, have it all unfold through patient builds, that on a small occasion are left to drift into a psychedelic mirage…

But always present are that grunge ghost and a punk spirit, not added as an afterthought, but used to either convey a message or remind you that bands like the Meat Puppets could use some more attention. The Spot In Magic track for instance or the You’re Not song. Did we mention the melodicism yet? Of course we did, but there is so much of it, and with a production so slick and thick, yet organic, it something becomes syrupy. But don't worry, it's the good kind of goo! And luckily, there’s also enough low end rumble to shake loose the last bolts of your rusted pickup. 

22AD, are not chasing yesterday’s legends, instead they waltz with their adoration of grunge and foxtrot with all the stoner that came out of that legendary desert. It’s a dance of many, an album that feels heavy, but also hypnotic and romantic. Charming on every song and unmistakably alive, See The World offers a plethora of landscapes and vistas to enjoy. Take the ride! 

(Written by JK)

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