Sky Larkin/ Kaleide

Sky Larkin
Kaleide
(Wichita Recordings)

Just like the intricate artwork that’ll draw you towards the album cover, the music of Sky Larkin’s second album (and follow up the 2009’s prettily potent ‘The Golden Spike’) has sleeper cult classic written all over it.
From lead single ‘Still Windmills’ onwards, the guitars are deemed important enough to sit front and centre, their melodies rising up against Katie Harkin’s vocal, which in itself makes for a fresh and inviting listening.
‘Tiny Heist’ shows the singer’s ability to propel the tracks in new directions in the space of a breath. Riding off the almost stream of consciousness drums, Katie pushes at the corners of the song, blasting down the doors to new compartments while the music switches between summery pop and badass bass.
After the battering ram of songs that start the album, things broaden out to allow you to pick up on Sky Larkin’s less conventional quirks: for example, you could almost be too busy dancing your legs off in a frenzy of Breeders-esque guitars to notice Katie’s tendency to sing in whichever language takes her fancy.
Then there are songs which temper the mood, like ‘Anjelica Huston’, which has an almost existential feel amidst its recurring keyboard fizzes. The lyrics too are deceptively dramatic, such as the line (from ‘Year Dot’) “one pile of bones so they’ll know we were friends.”
While ‘The Golden Spike’ may have gotten Sky Larkin off to a bit of a flyer in the credibility stakes, the refined awesomeness of this follow up – relentlessly twisting and never slacking – is sure to have them heaped with much deserved praise.

'KALEIDE' HAS BEEN RELEASED DIGITALLY A MONTH AHEAD OF SCHEDULE SO VISIT WEARESKYLARKIN.COM TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD THIS FANTASTIC SUMMER ALBUM