A.C.T
Heatwave

Second EP of four planned. Yes, that's right, A.C.T have discovered, by their own admission, how much simpler and less demanding it is to make an EP; much easier to work on a few tracks, you take them to the studio when you want and only when you have them ready, less time in rehearsals, less time to record and mix them, and even the budget needed is smaller (let's not forget they are a small and little-known band). I'm not crazy about this type of release, I would always prefer the arrival of a real album when enough ideas have been gathered to do it; well, maybe all true music enthusiasts have an album-oriented mindset, when they talk about music they discuss "albums", they consider the album as the ultimate goal, as a solid work with a common theme, as an entity with artistic value where each track is there for a precise reason and function, while the common radio listener talks about "songs" and probably doesn't find anything truly artistic in what they listen to, but only a simple outlet; therefore the EP is not what I usually look for in a band but I have learned to be content. A choice that, however, makes one gnaw their fingers, because the content of this "Heatwave", even more so than the previous EP, shows that the Swedish band still has what it takes to bring out the real work that has been missing since far-off 2014.

To be honest, the offer doesn't change one iota, it hasn't really changed in over twenty years of activity, but the band expresses it once again with their usual energy. A.C.T are representatives of an unusually lively and bright prog-rock that, however, also hides a melancholic aftertaste. The sounds are always clear and crystalline, and the production highlights them in an absolutely clean way, today as if it were the first time.

After the unnecessary buzz of the avoidable intro begins "Checked Out" and you can immediately feel that we are in A.C.T territory all the way, the melody shines and imposes itself with all its energy; a track essentially made up of two opposing souls, the first part proposes an unusual and direct funk, that hits the mark with its sizzling guitars and its catchy and compelling bass, the second part instead exposes the more prog soul, varying the rhythm more fluently and proposing interactions between guitars and keyboards in the full typicality of the genre. Energetic and dazzling in their way, "Brother" and the title-track also play, where the swinging rhythms with a swinging aftertaste, which the band has flaunted since its beginnings, appear vigorously. But as mentioned, the band knows how to offer bright melodies even when traveling on more melancholic tones, "Dark Clouds" and the more extended "The Breakup" are there precisely to prove it; slow and subdued rhythm, crystalline keyboards and strings not particularly ostentatious for the first, the second instead has a more sustained rhythm with hard-pop soars reminiscent of a certain pop-punk — another rather noticeable characteristic in various productions of the group — a low-register piano and this time more sizzling strings; they are two tracks typically for a grey and cloudy day but do not in any way delve into gothic and depressive rock, nothing that has to do with stuff like Cure and Anathema, on the contrary, they retain rather bright melody as if wanting to glimpse a hint of positivity.

27 really intense minutes with a good level of inspiration. The previous EP appeared a bit tired and dispensable, here instead the band expresses itself at its best even without major stylistic upheavals. The band now looks straight ahead and is already in the studio for the third EP of the series... hoping they change their mind and go back to making albums.