Another Sky - ‘Psychopath’ & 'Watching Basinski'
Another Sky - ‘Psychopath’ and 'Watching Basinski' - Anger, loneliness, and a surprising alt-rock return.
It's been three years since Another Sky released their debut album 'I Slept On The Floor', which instantly floored me when I first heard it. Their first effort captured a unique and textured sound, a sound I imagined and hoped they would hold close and expand on.
And it's that varied sound from track to track: technical drum efforts that glide from soft and steady to loud and tribal, inspired guitar and bass work that moves from melancholy, reverb-washed soundscapes to driving riffs and melodies, to Catrin Vincent's spellbinding vocal deliveries. A diverse yet consistent album that puts them in a lane of their own. Listen to 'Avalanche', 'The Cracks', 'All Ends' and 'How Long?' for that undeniable proof of concept.
Cut to now, and the release of lead single 'Psychopath' and b-side 'Watching Basinski', and what you hear is exactly that retention of their sound, all the things that separate Another Sky from other bands, filtered through an angsty alt-rock prism. Written in the shadow of a Covid 19 lockdown, and having sought the inspiration of late 90's/early 00's alt rock, both tracks depart from the bands debut sound into something furious in the lead single, and lonely in the b-side. In no small way does it capture the anger and loneliness of Covid 19 period.
First there's 'Psychopath'. In a phrase: I never thought Another Sky could make me headbang, but here I am, well and truly headbanging. A glitchy intro noise gives way to the filthy, overdriven 5/4 bass riff you'll have for most of the track. Catrin's vocals enter soon after, venomous and furious against those in seats of power and authority, to the incompetent leaders. Distorted guitar breaks through, imitating the bass riff, and the drums build up through the verse. Then the chorus explodes at you. The riff remains, dialled to 11, the drums stomp loudly around it, and Catrin wails the songs namesake.
To say this song is a surprising departure from Another Sky's debut sound, would be an understatement. Gone are the hazy, rapturous melancholies of their debut album. What you have now is a red-hot alt-rock tune, reaching wide-handed into Grunge territories, all the while distinctly in a sound all their own. If you like a Soundgarden or Psychadelic Porn Crumpets riff, you'll love this.
'Watching Basinski' took me by surprise after having 'Psychopath' on repeat for a good few hours. It stands absolutely, and deliberately, opposite to the lead single.
It's a lonely track, beginning with haunting vocals and melancholy guitar. The vocals are on full display here, and Catrin speaks of dark stuff. She ponders over the Twin Towers, and the pain of those that jumped or those unconsciousness they may have fallen into otherwise, of Basinski selling merchandise in a church, likening it to a religious enterprise, of being sad over an unnamed persons success, of someone jealous of another's ability to feel. The list goes on. As the song moves onward, an electric guitar enters with violin-like volume swells, and distant percussion thuds in the background. It's a beautiful, if undeniably tragic song.
Both tracks signal two sides of Another Sky's changing sound. While both sit well and truly in that alt-rock vein (albeit with all the welcome parts of Another Sky that make them unique) there's clearly something approaching a angry/lonely duality here. And its something to give close attention to. They're a band well with a unique and growing sound, and these two tracks solidly prove that.
Words by Harry Meenagh
