Illustrate Magazine is proud to present a grand new concept, their newly announced fourth studio album, ‘The Age of Aquarius’. A released that arrived globally on July 19th this year, it’s a record that doubles as their most expansive sonic undertaking yet.
Clocking in at 51 minutes across 15 cohesive tracks, the record is deliberately engineered to be your perfect electronic companion while you read, reflect, and scroll. Far from mere background sound, this is an invitation to drift into mythic horizons, bridging ancient lore, astrology, and our hyper-modern, digital existence.
The core sound is an immersive blend of ambient, downtempo, and electronic music, weaving together cosmic myth and meticulous celestial observation. It’s a beautifully executed exercise in contrast, balancing the inviting warmth of analogue sound—gentle reverb, soft pads, and field textures—against the sharp edges of digital detail: synthetic arpeggios, precise electronic pulses, and tasteful glitches. This juxtaposition feels key to the album’s concept, representing the space between antiquity and the ‘Cloud Age’.
The resulting soundscape functions like a musical star chart, guiding the listener through thematic constellations. Tracks like the opener, ‘Zodiac Drift’, establish the initial cosmic current with gentle, floating arpeggios. The journey quickly delves into weightier themes; ‘Saturn’s Return (To Delphi)’ promises ritualistic percussive motifs and darker bass tones, reflecting the mythological tension of discipline, time, and prophecy.
Other highlights pull off a brilliant trick of genre and memory: ‘Atlantis on VHS’ perfectly encapsulates the concept of warped, lost memory, layering the myth of the sunk civilisation over the lo-fi nostalgia of tape hiss and retro distortion. Contrast this with the slicker, more cautionary synth contrast of ‘Narcissus in Neon’, which explores modern vanity reflected in harsh light. Even with a brief turn into tragic beauty via ‘Aquarian Dreams (of Eurydice)’, the prevailing atmosphere remains one of majestic, contemplative scale, culminating in the expansive ambient fields of the closing track, ‘The Sky Remembers Us’.
With ‘The Age of Aquarius’, Illustrate Magazine extends their sonic storytelling far beyond previous works, utilising classical references (Apollo, Olympus, Eurydice) and astral cycles to explore the meaning of living in a cultural and cosmic "Age"—a turning point, perhaps, of enlightenment or disruption. The magazine cleverly frames its entire content offering within this subtle mythos, ensuring readers can flow seamlessly from the words on the page into the ambient soundscapes. The album is streaming now globally, ready to accompany your inner journey.
Illustrate Magazine has also recently launched ‘Illustrate Reacts’ — a series that captures authentic, unfiltered reactions across a wide range of music genres. Focused on connection, diversity, and open conversation, ‘Illustrate Reacts’ invites viewers to join the dialogue, whether it’s discovering a rising indie talent or responding to a major new release.
