Review of Steen Rylander’s New Album ‘City Lights’

Steen Rylander Lights Up the Scene with His Expansive New Album ‘City Lights’

Danish artist Steen Rylander delivers a bold and creative statement with his latest release, ‘City Lights’, a project that perfectly captures the depth and diversity of his artistry. Steen Rylander’s new album ‘City Lights’ blends alternative rock energy with cinematic and experimental textures, creating a listening experience that feels both intimate and sonically grand.

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Across 20 tracks, the album splits evenly between ten vocal songs and ten instrumentals, offering a two-sided journey through emotion and atmosphere. The first half showcases Rylander’s lyrical storytelling and raw vocal tone, while the second half dives deep into instrumental exploration, rich with electric guitars, rhythmic layers, and sweeping melodies that paint vivid pictures of urban life and reflection. The second half instrumentals, are the same songs as the first 10 tracks, but being stripped down to just the instrumentals, they help you to experience the songs in a different way.

Steen Rylander creates an instrumental masterpiece

Steen Rylander is a drummer at heart, which explains the strong back bone to the tracks throughout this album. Musically, this album is very well done, which is further showcased with the instrumental tracks. But the vocals, performed by a variety of singers it seems, female and male, match the tone of this album perfectly, helping to bring it all alive.

The performances feel lived-in and heartfelt, backed by production that’s clean but never sterile, organic tones and layered arrangements give each song a sense of space and authenticity. Elements of this album sound almost retro, giving 80’s vibes, but yet the music sounds modern as well. Steen does a great job marrying the old with the new.

What stands out most in City Lights is its balance between accessibility and artistry. From catchy hooks to immersive instrumentals, each track reveals another side of Rylander’s musical identity. It’s an album built for discovery.

For fans of thoughtful, genre-blending alternative rock, Steen Rylander’s new album “City Lights” is a must-hear. It’s a testament to artistic freedom and the timeless pull of honest expression.