Phil Thornalley is known as the writer of Natalie Imbruglia's international smash single "Torn," originally performed by the LA-based band Ednaswap. Imbruglia's cover reached #2 on the UK Singles chart, led airplay around the world attained a #1 position on the Billboard Airplay chart for 14 weeks. He's also known for his early-80s stint as a producer -- and for a time, the bassist -- for The Cure. In various production and mixing roles, he also worked with several other 80s bands, including Duran Duran, Prefab Sprout, Graham Parker and XTC.

In an interview for Sound on Sound magazine, Thornalley examined his place in the music ecosystem: "My natural inclination has always been to make pop. Having had such success with Natalie, I suddenly was a pop writer and producer, and I'm not unhappy about that at all. The artists that I worked with ... all have their own artistic voice, but I don't think I ever had that. I'm not ashamed to say that. I have always felt that I am a craftsman: I like to make things. Some people know how to make a chair or a table, and if someone comes to me with a request to make something in music, I go: 'Oh, yes, I know how to do that.' Of course I respect artists: my biggest influence is Todd Rundgren; but I'm not an artist or protest singer." Despite Thornalley's modesty, ArkansasOnline's review of his 2018 release (as Astral Drive) suggests that the work indeed rises to the level of art: "Astral Drive feels dreamy and pre-punk, shot through with sunshine with just a hint of melancholy. It's sonic virtual reality, something you can get lost in. It transports. It connects. And so it succeeds." The 2021 release, while distinct from the Astral Drive debut, operates along the same axis.

The 2021 track "One Big Love" features a gentle intro built on moving yet ambiguous compound chords, certainly a feature of the Rundgren liturgy Thornalley from which has reverently borrowed. At 0:15, now firmly in A minor, an insistent eighth-note groove (with a prominent sub-V Bb major kick at 0:24, just in case you weren't paying attention yet) leads to the first chorus at 0:39. At 1:03, an early synchopated start to the lead vocal line opens a trapdoor into the next verse, this time in B minor. Longtime Rundgren bandmate, Utopia co-vocalist, songwriter, and free-range bassist Kasim Sulton has collaborated on recent Astral Drive tracks and seems to be in strong evidence here. During a mini-bridge starting at 2:06, the groove falls away, but returns again at 2:17 as the key shifts to C# minor. The long fade, more than 30 seconds, suggests that the track was a party that nobody wanted to bring to an end.

Many thanks to our stalwart mod scout JB for this submission!