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Ron Beaudet: "The Ashtrays is a one-man lofi/dream pop/surf pop band that has sounds similar to Dirty Beaches and The Drums. The band is fronted by Daniel Jiménez of Atoyac de Álvarez, Mexico. The Ashtrays “S/T” is Daniel’s first album and first crack at writing and recording songs of his own, and he’s got talent! Being just 14 years of age, you can certainly hear that this young man has a promising future ahead of him.
The album opens up with a mysterious sounding guitar riff on “Her Indifference”. When the vocals come in, its as if Daniel is taking you on a journey that you are hesitant about going on. A second guitar adds in as well as synth that brings curiosity and keeps you moving forwards. The deep vocals sound as if they’re bringing you to a dark place, and when the chorus comes in they drop and the drums break you from the trance you’ve fallen into. The chorus brings in a light and melancholy melody that make you realize you’ve been taken to a dark place, however you stay. The song ends on distorted lofi synth solo which is a nice way to go out.
“If I Go” is a much more brighter song with an opening riff that will get stuck in your head for the day. As the verse happens you can’t help but you’re experiencing a dream that he is supplying for you. A dream about “the one that got away”. As the chorus comes in, another guitar comes in as well that makes the song become more ethereal. Then its as if the song stops. A guitar solo begins and the song picks back up where it left off, but somehow stronger than before. Then it falls apart at the end in a fashionable manner.
One of my favorites, “First Time” starts off with a guitar riff like that you would hear off a Drums album. This song makes you want to dance, the riff and and the off tempo drums complete any surf pop fans dream. The synth choices on this song were interesting to say the least. The lead synth sounds like a digitally artificial guitar made by a Casio keyboard. However, it fits in with the song.
“July 27th” is another one of my favorites. Its a nice relaxing tune that makes you picture of a day at beach. Its chill but still but you could dance to it. The melodic break is a perfect way to break away from the relaxing vibes thrown out. Daniel somehow capture the sound of the sun setting, leading to the night.
“Maybe” is a cool tune that sets an image in your mind of sitting on the hood of your car, underneath the stars, with your high school crush.
“That Afternoon” screams Dirty Beaches to me. The slow tempo with empty verses and full choruses shows the different dynamics that Daniel can create. This song is another favorite of mine.
“To Be With You” jumps back into the surfy- dream pop like earlier in the album. If you were to describe The Ashtrays’ sound using one song example, this would be the song to pick. It has every characteristic of the album in its runtime of just 4:42.
The last and longest track,“Your Eyes”, ends off the album the way it started. It brings you to a dark mysterious place, but now you’ve come to be used to it. Instead of a lead synth on this track, he used grand piano keyboard. This song is one that stands out from the others, but for good reasons. It is another that sounds like it could be a Dirty Beaches tune. As the song fades out, you feel a roller-coaster of emotions and have to play the album again. But is that a bad thing?"