The Sky Life returns with their third full-length ‘Caves’ , a record that’s overall sound is difficult to corner into one genre. Their ambient twist on indie pop rock gives the band an edge, a unique sound that you don’t often find. Having read about the record before listening to it, I learnt that unlike The Sky Life’s previous offerings, ‘Caves’ explores themes of sadness and reflection. I was intrigued to have a listen to see whether or not I could empathise with this.

‘Ask Anything’ opens the record with echoed vocal work, kicking into a mid-paced rhythm that soon journeys into a much more ambient and emotional section. This continues throughout the rest of the track, complimented by the soft vocal combinations made up within the band. ‘Stop Thinking’ introduces more dominant acoustic guitar than the previous track, still keeping up with the peaceful aura that The Sky Life excel at creating. The guitar and piano combination produces a beautiful sound that I could happily sit and listen to all day long.

‘Hey, I’m Coming Home’ is initially much more piano and synth focused; with the introduction of acoustic guitar later in the track and the mixture of all three instruments create a stunning atmospheric sound that captures my emotions. There is a definite element of sadness in ‘Son To The Seed’ and I can feel the emotion in the vocals especially towards the end of the track, with this reiterated by the chilling synths. Final track ‘Freeman’ ends ‘Caves’ on a beautiful note, continuing with the peaceful yet powerful sound that The Sky Life still prove to excel at. It impresses me that the combination of piano, acoustic guitar and synths can and have worked so well together throughout the whole of this record.  

The Sky Life’s song writing is like no other I have come across before: its unique style really gives this band a standout sound and ‘Caves’ is the perfect example of an exceptionally written record. I can’t find many, if any faults with this full-length and its distinctiveness captured my attention and emotions from start to finish. ‘Caves’ is an excellent record that is worth checking out; no matter what your musical preferences are I am more than certain that you will emphasise with it, and appreciate the reflection that the band base their music around.  

4.5/5

‘Caves’ by The Sky Life is out now on Deep Elm Records.

The Sky Life links: Website|Facebook

Words by Hannah Gillicker (@HannahGillicker)