A.C.T 'Rebirth' Review

Updated: Dec 26, 2019

A review of the new A.C.T EP ‘Rebirth’ - released physically on March 29th 2019, and digitally on April 26th 2019

A.C.T are a Swedish prog band, originally formed under the name ‘Fairyland’ in 1995. After going through several lineup changes, A.C.T have found their own area of prog that they truly thrive in. I read somewhere that A.C.T was progressive ABBA, and I can’t really disagree. To be more specific, A.C.T have a wide variety of influences like: 10CC, Queen, Electric Light Orchestra, Toto, Rush, and Mike Oldfield to name a few. A.C.T have a synth-forward, sound that helps create some of the happiest and energetic songs out there. A regular A.C.T song includes killer solos, electric synth bass and lead, along with fantastic harmonies, and occasionally circus music. This EP follows their previous studio release ‘Circus Pandemonium’ (which had a dark undertone, released 5 years ago) and the EP really feels like a strong step in their discography (despite being so short - only 22 minutes in length).

Most of the songs on the EP have the typical ‘A.C.T’ sound, to the point where I was sometimes convinced that I was listening to one of the previous albums. While this sounds like a bad thing, and implies that they’re going stale, it’s actually not too much of a negative. This is their first studio release in 5 years, and with A.C.T’s sound already being so unique, they can afford to stick to the same old routine. However, there were quite a few new and ‘stand-out’ moments in this EP that seem to be new territory for the group, but we’ll get to those later.

‘The Ruler of the World’ seems to have an extra opening to it with the CD (as opposed to the previous digital single release of the song) which is really just outdoor noise, and begins the feeling of nature and outdoors for the rest of the EP; despite their heavy use of synth and electronic sounds/voices, this EP does have a nature intensive vibe (mainly because of the birds chirping here and there). The Ruler of the World is a grower, I was pleased at first, glad to hear that they still had their magic, but with every listen I became more engrossed. It’s catchy and fun to sing along with. One of the cool things about this song is the bridge towards the end of it which includes a recording of an old BBC broadcast: ‘This is 2LO, the London Station of the British Broadcasting Company calling, 2LO calling’ - I’ve always liked when bands use this kind of thing in music (so I’m nuts for Public Service Broadcasting), and it’s done really well here. This bridge also features what can only be called ‘The tastiest synth bass to exist, ever’. The single video release shows the band performing the song at home, they all seem so happy to be back and playing new material, and this song (despite having quite negative lyrics) really reflects how excited and happy they all seem. In short, ‘The Ruler of the World’ is typical ‘A.C.T’, and does not disappoint.

‘Running Out of Luck’ is another song that stays true to the band’s usual sound, lying on the heavier end of the spectrum. The vocal harmonies are there, Ola’s rhythmic guitar work is there and plays so well alongside the synth by Jerry. There are again moments in this song with birds chirping, which comes right next to the more intense moments, and yet still work so well. It reminds me of ‘A Waltz With Mother Nature’ mainly because of the rhythm and contrast between heavier and lighter bits.

‘Digital Affair’ feels like both a love letter from an android to the band, and a cheesy 80’s dance hit. I really wasn’t sure at first, but they manage to pull off the google translate-esque engagements in a way that many bands couldn’t. It’s interesting how they manage to go from the 80s dance ballad vibe back to their comfort zone and into an amazing solo-ridden bridge. This entire song is one of the ‘new territory’ moments on this EP, but does retain some good old fashioned A.C.T alongside it, in fact, it kind of reminds me of ‘Ted’s Ballad’ in a strange way, because Ted’s ballad is..well… a really gentle ballad, and ‘Digital Affair’ is more of an intense love song. ‘Digital Affair’ is the one that has the killer synth solo by Jerry that was shown in one of their YouTube videos. Overall, this is quite low in my list of top A.C.T songs, but the solos alone in it are enough to bring it up on the list.

‘Meet the Past’ is a song that has the best and most exciting opening to an A.C.T song, and the rest does not disappoint. It has a funky passage before getting back into the high energy and excitement for the chorus. This song has an amazing dynamic between all the members of the band, not a single thing is out of place, this is one of those moments I love mentioning, where everything is perfect. Flicking between fast paced and high intensity, this song also has some interesting parts to it, like a call back to ‘Digital Affair’ with another section that reminds me of an 80s dance ballad. This is my second favourite song on the album, mainly because of how ‘busy’ it is, it’s like the musical representation of the album artwork, and overall feels safe at home with the rest of A.C.T’s discography. It has moments that are similar to ‘Torn By a Phrase’ (from Last Epic).

‘A Broken Trust’ is an interesting song, and while isn’t completely ‘new’ for A.C.T, it is certainly one of the more heavier songs they’ve ever done. It opens with a melodic build, before going into the main song, which is the closest to proper heavier rock that they’ve probably ever come, before moving into a less intense chorus. The vocal harmonies especially seem to be different and don’t have the upbeat combo of Jerry and Herman that is so recognizable in most songs, but do have a darker undertone that creates a menacing feel to the verses. Again, the chorus provides relief from this, and returns the harmonies we’re familiar with. There are some amazing riffs and solos from Ola here which slightly call back to ‘Meet The Past’, and a classical piano melody from Jerry, to provide a refreshing background setting. ‘A Broken Trust’ also features the robot voice again, which ties it nicely with the other songs on the EP. There’s a bittersweet outro to this song, after thinking it’s over, a sweet piano plays, and suddenly stops. This better be a sign that this is part one of two, because this EP has only pushed A.C.T’s boundaries, while staying true to their musical identity. After all, in their post when they announced the album, they wrote: ‘This is just the beginning…’.

In conclusion, this album is a strong return for A.C.T, and really hypes up their future. WIth unique twists and turns along with their truly recognizable style, A.C.T only disappoints with the briefness of this EP. 8/10. Absolutely worth a listen. Thanks for reading.

- James Carstairs