Atlas Engine - "As You Are"

Words by Zach Romano

LAMR favorites Atlas Engine are back with “As You Are,” the latest single from their upcoming debut full-length When the compass resets...there can be no regrets, due out on Favorite Friend Records later this year. This is one of Atlas Engine’s more centered, uplifting tracks, but don’t confuse a sense of calm with lack of drive: “As You Are” is a journey, and a thrilling one indeed.

The track begins with synth twinkles and guitar plucks that could have been beamed from an alternate universe where Sigur Rós made Ágætis Byrjun as an indie-pop album. Singer Nick LaFalce’s vocals are smoother and higher in the mix than we’ve heard on previous Atlas Engine tracks, and the lyrics, which serve as a caution about self-presentation and authenticity in the age of social media, reference manmade facsimiles of natural phenomena (The Bends, anyone?), such as “plastic flowers” and “electric suns.”

“As You Are” will open When the compass resets… and will be followed by previous single “Modern Mind” (read our writeup of that awesome track here). There is a forward-looking feel shared by these songs, but they tap very different strains of futurism. “As You Are” is Star Trek’s intergalactic expanse to the Blade Runner-esque high-speed claustrophobia of “Modern Mind:”: where “Modern Mind” is a chase scene, “As You Are” is an interstellar liftoff. The first three-quarters of the track could soundtrack starships positioning themselves in the ether, and right before the three-minute mark, they blast off, turning into lines on the screen. For the last few seconds, all we’re left with is the exhaust as “As You Are” fades out.

Both of the songs we’ve heard off When the compass resets… so far are fantastic, and we can’t wait to get our next glimpse of the sci-fi epic Atlas Engine is building. You can purchase “As You Are” via Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify. Keep up with the band by liking them on Facebook and following them on Instagram.