After are heading to Australia for the first time, with the Y2K-minded pop and trip-hop duo announcing their debut headline tour for January, presented by Untitled Group and Beyond The Valley.

Built around the creative partnership of Justine Dorsey and Graham Epstein, After occupy an intriguing space between the melodic immediacy of early-2000s pop and the darker atmospherics of trip-hop. Their reference points stretch from Michelle Branch and Fountains of Wayne to Portishead and Enigma, a combination that makes considerably more sense once you hear what they do with it.

Dorsey’s airy vocals sit at the centre, while Epstein’s production gives the songs their hazier, cinematic dimensions. Rather than simply recreating the sounds of the Y2K era, After pull at different threads from the period, finding common ground between guitar-led pop songwriting and the more nocturnal possibilities of electronic music.

It is a combination that arrives at an opportune moment. The sounds, textures and aesthetics of the late ’90s and early 2000s are once again circulating through alternative pop, but After approach that history with enough curiosity to avoid feeling like straightforward nostalgia.

Go HERE for tickets.

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