Alex Wellkers, hailing from the clean-cut, orderly edges of Zurich, has dropped an album that feels like it’s reaching for the stars with both hands — and maybe tripping over a few clouds on the way up. Reach the Stars is a sprawling, ambitious record that fuses alternative rock with just enough pop sensibility to keep it digestible, then sprinkles on classical instruments like it’s trying to audition for a Bond film. Think Muse without the self-awareness or Coldplay on a Rachmaninoff bender.
The opening track, We Knew It All, sets a pretty grand tone. Lush strings build beneath a bedrock of piano and guitar, and Wellkers’ voice does the heavy lifting with raw, raspy delivery that sometimes borders on theatrical. It’s got cinematic ambition, no doubt, but occasionally slips into melodrama. There’s passion, yes, but it can feel like it’s trying a bit too hard to be epic — you half expect a falcon to swoop past your window.
Bring Me the Keys has more urgency and bite. The guitar work here is tighter, and the pacing actually gives the track some balls. It’s a standout because it stops trying to be too clever and just rocks. More of this, please.
See Me There and Desert Island pull things back into ballad territory. The former is a decent attempt at vulnerability but lacks lyrical depth — it’s all a bit vague and floaty, the kind of song that makes you feel something, but you’re not quite sure what. Desert Island, on the other hand, benefits from some interesting percussion and a stronger melodic hook. Still, both flirt with becoming background music rather than grabbing you by the gut.
Now, There Is Cars — let’s address the elephant. The title alone is enough to make a grammar teacher weep into their red pen, and musically it’s a bit of a lost opportunity. The song wants to be quirky and left-field but ends up skidding off the road into ‘what the fuck is going on here?’ territory. It’s not bad, just baffling.
Alles Nicht So Schlimm and Tu Es Ici toss some European flair into the mix. The former, sung in German, adds a welcome texture and makes Wellkers’ Swiss roots feel more present. The latter, in French, tries to be poetic but feels undercooked. Vocals strain in places and the instrumentation, though rich, can’t quite save it from fading into filler.
She Will Say and The Key try to claw the listener back with a blend of acoustic warmth and lyrical sentimentality, but they suffer from pacing issues — they linger too long and feel a bit indulgent. It’s like watching someone sob at a party when you’ve just come for the crisps.
Then Mystic Saint slaps you with a wall of sound that brings some much-needed life to the album’s second half. It’s gritty, bass-heavy and feels like Wellkers finally let the reins go. It’s chaotic in a good way and leaves you wanting more of this darker, unpredictable energy.
What Are You Searching For poses a question that feels like it should matter, but again the lyrics fall into cliché, with the instrumental doing most of the emotional work. It’s heartfelt, no doubt, but you’re left thinking, “Mate, I’m not sure you even know the answer yourself.”
Now The Page’s Been Turned has a solid, moody progression and works well as a late-album track — almost cinematic, it feels like the credits could roll here. And then, in a French-kissed whisper, we get Au Revoir, which wraps the whole thing up in a dreamy but slightly unmemorable exit.
Overall, Reach the Stars is a big, emotional, starry-eyed swing. Alex Wellkers clearly cares deeply about the music — it’s ambitious, layered, and has moments that genuinely shine (Bring Me the Keys, Mystic Saint). But at times, it collapses under its own weight. There’s a fine line between drama and melodrama, and this album dances right along it, teetering now and then into excess. The vocals are expressive but occasionally overwrought, the lyrics aim for the profound but sometimes land in the vague.
Still, there’s enough here to warrant a closer look — especially if you’re into your alt-rock with a side of theatrical flair and a European twist. Just don’t expect it all to make perfect sense. Some stars are best viewed from a distance.
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