{"id":695477,"date":"2025-10-18T07:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T04:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/afters-after-2-ep-review-utopian-y2k-pop-pastiche\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T07:15:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T04:15:12","slug":"afters-after-2-ep-review-utopian-y2k-pop-pastiche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/afters-after-2-ep-review-utopian-y2k-pop-pastiche\/","title":{"rendered":"After\u2019s After 2 EP review: utopian Y2K pop pastiche"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35847995e13\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35847995e13\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/afters-after-2-ep-review-utopian-y2k-pop-pastiche\/#The_Los_Angeles_bands_new_EP_After_2_channels_Michelle_Branch_and_Aquamarine_without_feeling_kitschy_or_dated\" >The Los Angeles band\u2019s new EP, After 2, channels Michelle Branch and Aquamarine without feeling kitschy or dated.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"deck\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Los_Angeles_bands_new_EP_After_2_channels_Michelle_Branch_and_Aquamarine_without_feeling_kitschy_or_dated\"><\/span>The Los Angeles band\u2019s new EP, <i>After 2<\/i>, channels Michelle Branch and <i>Aquamarine<\/i> without feeling kitschy or dated.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"content_blocks\">\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-275045\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_760,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/after-band_n45ec8\/after-band-after-2-ep.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"60vw\" alt=\"After\u2019s &lt;i&gt;After 2&lt;\/i&gt; EP review: utopian Y2K pop pastiche\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      After<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-275040\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            I found out about <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/aftertheband\/?hl=en\">After<\/a> probably like many of their fans: On TikTok, when a grainy, seemingly camcorder-shot video of singer Justine Dorsey pulled up on my FYP. In <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@aftermusic\/video\/7561868528211496223\">the video<\/a>, she\u2019s seen walking through a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/aesthetics.fandom.com\/wiki\/Frutiger_Aero\">Frutiger Aero<\/a> city-scape, an invisible wind machine blowing through her blonde hair, singing along to the track \u201cDeep Diving,\u201d an aqueous pop song that sounded like a meeting of <i>Aquamarine<\/i> and Michelle Branch. I was hooked.\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            After, the Los Angeles band of Dorsey and Graham Epstein, who first met on Hinge, is committed to crafting a utopian vision of the early 2000s in 2025. The duo\u2019s first EP, a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/after95.bandcamp.com\/album\/after-ep\">self-titled five-song package<\/a> released in April, mixes in moody drum and bass, grungy guitars, and shadowy <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>-hop amid the bright mall-pop chords and flourishes, like a mix of Vanessa Carlton and Avril Lavigne. They\u2019ve since refined that formula on their latest release, <i>After 2<\/i>, textural gems that linger on the more optimistic side of Y2K dreaming without kitschiness or feeling outdated.\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content_block paragraph triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-275042\" class=\"content_block paragraph embed triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\">\n    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"After - Deep Diving (Official Music Video)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MTIDZGqjlls?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-275041\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            Almost every song on <i>After 2<\/i> channels that <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/discover\/the-flower-headphone-girl-meme\">contented TikTok girl smiling with her headphones on<\/a> as butterflies flutter in the background. \u201cDeep Diving\u201d beams like lying in the surf on the most pristine summer beach day; \u201cOutbound\u201d cozily yearns with breezy guitars and a hook that\u2019s meant to be lip-synced while gazing out a window.; \u201cClose your eyes\u201d requests to share one\u2019s intimate world with a jungle-beat and twinkling synths. These are songs meant to lubricate your brain; perhaps the only thing that\u2019s frustrating is when you&#8217;re trying to remember what each song reminds you of and having the answer stuck at the tip of your tongue.\n          <\/p>\n<p>\n            Dorsey and Epstein <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/after-the-la-duo-y2k-inspired-pop-ayntk-1235364133\/\">have said<\/a> that they specifically embarked on After to make mainstream radio hits inspired by [the 2000s] \u2014 \u201ca very specific sound they had back then.\u201d\n          <\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            The entire concept of After might be a lot if you\u2019ve not been fully converted to the Y2K trend train, which I thought had left me behind until I found \u201cDeep Diving.\u201d The problem with building so heavily on a reference is that the shortcut automatically alienates anyone not already captured in its purview. But After manages to turn their pastiche into a strength; producing a mimicry of something that\u2019s so nuanced and studied it becomes its own kind of original.\n          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-275044\" class=\"content_block paragraph embed triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\">\n    <iframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/4wrJJTECEgSMnwHeoBzoGz?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content_block paragraph triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-275043\" class=\"content_block paragraph embed triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\">\n    <iframe allow=\"autoplay *; encrypted-media *;\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"450\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;background:transparent;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.music.apple.com\/us\/album\/after-ep-2-ep\/1841007954\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"author\">\n    <span><br \/>\n      By <span class=\"credit_name\">Steffanee Wang<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/span><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefader.com\/2025\/10\/17\/after-band-after-2-ep\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles band\u2019s new EP, After 2, channels Michelle Branch and Aquamarine without feeling kitschy or dated. After I found out about After probably like many of their fans: On TikTok, when a grainy, seemingly camcorder-shot video of singer Justine Dorsey pulled up on my FYP. In the video, she\u2019s seen walking through a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":695478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/c_limit,w_1024\/c_crop,h_533,w_1024,x_0,y_10,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/after-band_fsemzf\/after-band_fsemzf.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[28101],"class_list":["post-695477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-pop"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}