Pool

Release date: July 31, 2026

Genre: Indie Rock / Shoegaze

Label: Independent

Balinese-Australian artist Astari just released her debut EP Pool, and the title track is such a good song for sitting inside one emotion for a little too long. She wrote it after a rainy afternoon when everything became overwhelming, and instead of trying to fix the mood, she let herself stay there.

The song starts soft and shimmering, with Astari’s voice remaining steady while the guitars, reverb and distortion slowly gather around her. It keeps building until the production almost swallows everything, though her vocal never completely loses control. That contrast makes the song so satisfying: she knows she is spiralling, and the music keeps making the spiral bigger.

The visual in “crying at the pool / raining and I’m blue” is especially interesting too. The pool is blue, the weather is grey-blue, and her whole mood becomes blue at the same time. Everything starts blending together until she is completely surrounded by the emotion, which is dramatic, slightly funny and honestly very relatable.