Music Box

Album review: Vinyl Floor - Balancing Act

Casting back to look forward, Vinyl Floor blends 60s charm with modern prog on Balancing Act

James Frew

25 Feb 2026 • 2 min read

Credit: Vinyl Floor

The opening track of Vinyl Floor's sixth album, Balancing Act, immediately drew me in, as the vocal melody reminded me of Opeth's The Devil's Orchard. The songs aren't the same, but there was something familiar in the prog DNA of the music.

The Danish band, a collaboration between brothers Daniel and Thomas Charlie Pedersen, has always favoured a blend of progressive rock and the early 60s British pop of groups like The Beatles, and while those influences are still here, the duo have expanded their sonic palette further this time around.

But the first thing we need to get out of the way: this is progressive rock, not 'prog' — there are no 17-minute songs with large instrumental breaks. Only one track breaks the five-minute mark, the easygoing Jacaranda Blossom, which builds on a bright piano riff into the song's guitar-led crescendo.

So while the brothers' references are clearly steeped in the legacy of the 1960s and 1970s, it's filtered through a more pop-focused lens, making the album's 48-minute runtime feels like a breeze, helped by their ability to pen ear-worm hooks, like on I'm The Upside.

The lead single from the album, Mr Rubinstein, is the camera-flash-in-the-air moment, with a singalong chorus and luscious backing vocals suited for large arenas, cosy rooms and even at the mid-point of a musical.

The only instrumental piece here, Back Of My Hand, feels like it would have had vocals at one point, but the band opted for lead strings instead, which ends up complementing the waltz-like pace and the song bridges both halves of the album.

Although not a concept album in the more traditional sense, the band wanted to link all the tracks thematically around trying to find order in a world that feels out of balance, and it's on the swirling titular track that this focus takes the spotlight.

"I won't get anywhere, though I try harder everyday," is a feeling that most of us can relate to right now, but based on the warmth and joy of guitar-led pop flowing through Balancing Act, Vinyl Floor certainly deserve to keep moving forward.

Vinyl Floor's Balancing Act will be released on 27th February 2026. You can follow the band at Bandcamp and buy 2022 release, Funhouse Mirror.