Biography

Astrel K is the solo project of Rhys Edwards (singer/guitarist of British band Ulrika Spacek). Currently based in Stockholm, ‘You Could If You Can’ was written and recorded by AK earlier this year, being one of the first of batch other songs written around the same time. Released as a 7” on Stereolab’s label ‘Duophonic Super 45s’, ‘YCIYC’ follows a history of abstract non-commercial releases from Stereolab, as well as one offs from bands such as Broadcast, Yo La Tengo and Tortoise. Debut full length 'Flickering i' will be released 29/04/22 on the same label. An album that doesn’t sound like one made in either London or Stockholm, rather somewhere in the nether region. Written pre pandemic but mixed in the past year, the music led Edwards to finding like minded musicians from the Stockholm music scene: “Though I’m now glad I can say I wrote an album by myself, I was definitely confronted with my own musical strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes when you have an A/B decision you want some perspective and you’d be in the studio, turn around and no one is there. It really made me curious to bring in more people into the fold, not to compromise any original vision or anything, but to have other energy in the room, to exorcise out any lazy tricks I may fall into”. Stockholm musicians (including Lili Holényi, Milton Öhrström, Niklas Mellberg, Tomas Hellberg) played on the album and join Edwards in the live version of the project.