AFAR - Changing Rules

Berlin-based duo AFAR return with their third studio album, Changing Rules — a sonic manifesto of presence, eruption, and resistance. Carved from the analog depths of psychedelic krautwave, the record pulses with raw guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and a voice that lingers somewhere between dream and defiance.

Changing Rules feels less like an album and more like a statement of intent. It’s a romantic revolt against numbness, a refusal to be pacified by the background noise of modern life. Each track stretches time, embracing imperfection and human texture — slow, deliberate, and uncomfortably real. AFAR channel the spirit of 1970s German experimentation, fusing it with contemporary electronic minimalism and an undercurrent of emotional urgency.

The duo’s signature sound emerges here in its boldest form: machine-driven percussion meets lush analog synths, guitars burst and decay like solar flares, and melodies hover in the haze between melancholy and transcendence. There’s a tactile warmth in every sound, the kind that can only come from real instruments recorded in real rooms — an antidote to digital gloss.

For listeners who still believe in the transformative power of sound, Changing Rules is both a meditation and a rebellion. It’s music for those who still long to long, who crave authenticity in an age of convenience, and who understand that resistance can be quiet, slow, and utterly beautiful.