Good morning! Today we’re going to be taking a look at Pink Cloud Summer by local Prog superstars Skybound. The 5 track album was released yesterday (July 17th 2020) and runs for approximately 20 minutes. It is available on all streaming services.
Song 1: Tokyo Sunset
This short track starts with a nice faded in piano riff and a light synth keeping the beat in the background. Then a nice slow fade in of some strings and bass. The song builds up and reaches a climax with a massive electronica feel before fading out.
Song 2: Liquid Courage
Fans of Skybound will be familiar with this one already. The nice easy start into a big beautiful riff with amazing drums to compliment has been a staple of the band for about 8 months now. The jazzy piano and syncopated bass really make this song an instant classic.
Song 3: Galaxies
The tapping and booming rhythms at the start jump right into a super energetic punky riff and drum beat, which fades into a fun little riff with an electric piano accompaniment and beautiful atmospheric background noise that makes you feel like you’re floating in space. This one is super fun to listen to. It then jumps into a very pop punk feeling riff with some funky synths as leads underneath. The drums with have you bobbing your head, then it gets 8bit on ya. This section brought me back to my SEGA Genesis. Probably the funnest song on the album.
Song 4: Luna
Very atmospheric at the start. Beautiful piano and drum work. The guitar acting as atmosphere underneath works perfectly and really complements the piano and drums. The guitar and bass work is impeccable. Everything meshes together perfectly and the mix is amazing. The guitar solo into the next section of the song is well executed and the transitions are very well done. This song’s guitar work always blows me away, so goddamn good. I’m also a sucker for a well executed sudden stop, and this song has one.
Song 5: Pink Cloud Summer
The title track, this track is huge. It feels big, the atmospheric sounds pulled out of the guitars give it a massive feel, and the bass and drums add a nice layer of texture to it. The synth riff at the transition is very well done and adds another nice layer to the song. The song feels busy but not overwhelming. There’s a lot going on but it works, definitely feels like a closing track. It will have you bobbing along. The album ends with the same beating synth that it started with which is a nice touch.
Conclusion:
I love it. There isn’t much else I can say other than that. This album is one of the best albums to come out of Ottawa this year.
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