Nyte Skye
Vanishing
Sonic Ritual
Northern Californiaโs newest alt-rock band Nyte Skye has released its debut album, Vanishing. Consisting of just Nyles Lannon working closely with his then twelve-year-old son Skye, and the result is an auspicious debut album of shimmery shoegaze rock.
Opener and early single โDream Stateโ sets the tone sonically for the rest of the album with its spacey vocals, droning synths, and clever guitarwork. โGuided By A Handโ is rhythmic and galloping while โDoing Timeโ is more ghostly, Nyles Lannonโs voice always half in fog, the drums tumbling along, the synths shining, the guitar plucking along underneath. On the front half of the album, โTake Me Up Againโ stands out and hints at more expansive musical possibilities, the pumping drums of Skye Lannon working as the foundation to the layers of guitar and synth piled on top, rising and falling, and for stretchesโaside from the vocalsโthey are reminiscent of certain parts of certain The War on Drugs songs.
This is also the point where the album seems to break out a bit and become more confident, the last several tracks pushing at the edges of whatever limits the first few tracks established. โMoon Rabbitโ is the bridge, a two-minute dystopian electronic instrumental transition track that leads into โTake Your Loveโ with its melancholic synth and glistening guitar, the band achieving a vibe over the remaining tracks that places their sound somewhere near certain parts of certain The Cure songs, if The Cure were as groovy a band like Real Estate.
The back half of the album maintains the strengths of the first half and suggests the bandโs potential to develop its sound even further beyond the confines of โshoegazeโ. A good example late is โTwo Wolves In The Heart,โ which comes out thumping, paced-up from the previous tracks, and provides variation and difference at just the right moment to keep the album fresh and the bandโs sound surprising all the way to the end. Overall, this is a polished debut effort.
Artistย Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NYTE SKYE – VANISHING
Dan Kennard