Review: Topango Afterglow

Next up is the new single Seven Stars from Topango Afterglow, and it’s one of those tracks that quietly pulls you in before you even realise how deep you’ve gone.

The song creeps in on a laid-back groove, unhurried and confident, letting the atmosphere do the heavy lifting. When the vocal arrives it instantly elevates everything, soaring with real feeling and purpose, adding depth and passion without ever tipping into excess. The track winds and flows effortlessly, sitting in that rare space where it feels dark and light at the same time, reflective yet comforting.

There’s a vocal-led intensity here that recalls artists like Nick Cave or Jeff Buckley – not as imitation, but in the way the voice becomes the emotional engine of the song. The instrumentation stays beautifully restrained, allowing the pained, immediate vocal delivery to cut straight through and give the track its authenticity. It feels honest, lived-in, and quietly powerful.

As the song builds towards its finale, a sense of longing and lost passion rises with it, swelling into a subtle crescendo before everything gently falls away. The near-a cappella ending is especially striking, leaving you suspended in the moment rather than rushing to resolve it. It’s a confident, elegant way to close a track that trusts its own emotional weight.

Seven Stars is proof that you don’t need bombast to make an impact – sometimes it’s the slow burn that shines the brightest. Topango Afterglow may be looking to the stars here, but this one lands firmly among their finest moments.