Dystoria is an alternative rock duo based in Portland, Oregon. Chase Kochis and Miles Reed started making music when they were just 16, and now at 18 years old, they have finally released their beautiful debut album Lace.
The album spans an intro and nine tracks, all of which sound so mature and dense you’d never think a couple of eighteen-year-olds made them. After the ominous intro, the album’s lead single Prawler begins right away with a powerful verse, a mindblowing chorus, and guitar tones that sound so modern yet so purely rock n roll. The post-chorus section features a couple of piano notes and some electronic elements before the new verse begins, and the phenomenal vocals shower us with emotion once again. The beauty of this song is in how every section seamlessly flows into the next. Thief is a more straightforward number, and although it has a longer duration, it feels fresh and fun to listen all the way through. The style of the song leans more towards a 2000s Alternative rock sound…the chorus has soaring vocals and open chords which will grab the attention of all 2000s Alt rock lovers. Behind The Eyes is one of the tracks that stood out for me because of its catchy chorus line, and its short duration that makes you want more of it right after it’s done.
Vine Mind is a power ballad with a different kind of effect used on the guitars, which goes to show how versatile these guys are. The mid section of the song with the high notes and guitar solos definitely make the band a force to be reckoned with. Inda has got to be my favorite track on the entire record. Evey single aspect from the vocals, the bass line, the drum arrangements…all of it is just pure and raw emotion. The way the verse tells a story and moves on to one of the best choruses of 2024 is sure to blow your mind. Loirenz is an acoustic ballad which is sort of a breather between all the songs with distortion, and I love how it does that purpose while still holding on as a strong song on its own.
Running From A Dream begins as a mid tempo song, but slowly picks up a faster tempo with more ferocious drums and guitars, and it also has the album’s first instance of distorted vocals. Shine is another power ballad, but it has more breathy and laid back vocals in comparison to previous songs…at that point I had to wonder if there’s anything these guys are incapable of doing. The ninth and final track, Solice, has an ominous start and gives the impression that it will be an electronic number, before quickly going full throttle with its distorted guitars and powerful drums in the midsection, and then it comes full circle with another haunting section that serves as the ending/outro to this massive album.
In conclusion, this album is versatile, professional, and sounds too promising for a debut. It’s really wonderful how two eighteen year olds poured their hearts out and found the right producers to put their imagination in its right spectacle, and if you give this album a listen you would think the band consists of five or six members who have produced several albums before. This is one of my greatest finds of 2024 and I recommend it to all experimental, modern, and alternative rock lovers.
