Sky_A isn’t just making music. He’s constructing entire worlds. His upcoming album Labyrinths (out March 28) is a masterclass in storytelling through sound. With an approach that treats instruments as characters and songs as narrative scenes, Labyrinths is a fascinating, high-energy progressive rock record that thrives on tension, movement, and contrast. By blending alt-rock and electronic textures with a theatrical sense of structure, Labyrinths feels like a film score for an unmade movie.
At its core, Labyrinths explores the intersection of the organic and the mechanical. The album’s electronic elements establish a sleek, futuristic atmosphere, while raw acoustic guitars inject something more human. There’s something flawed and unpredictable from the sound that echoes with an unshakeable power.
Sky_A describes this interplay,
There’s kind of an immensely dominant and powerful technological apparatus, that is the main environment, and that corresponds to electronics, synth work, which is benign and smooth, at least on the surface, at least to begin with. Then there’s also the personal inner world of a human being in that place, which is much less smooth and perfect than the environment. The angular roughness of acoustic guitars is like this fallible body, at odds with its wipe-clean habitat, unable to quite fit in.
The result is an album that constantly shifts between these two forces.
Single, “Running Out Of Winter,” exemplifies this push and pull. It begins with an intimate and delicate quality before escalating into something urgent and chaotic. Sky_A likens it to a love song that turns into a military operation, illustrating the kind of cinematic transformation that defines Labyrinths.
Similarly, “Spider Silk” leans into contrast. With its fragile and intricate acoustic guitars weaving through the track, it balances tension with an almost eerie delicacy. Inspired by the idea that spider silk is stronger than steel due to its flexibility, the song captures that same duality. Soft yet unbreakable.
Sky_A’s background in theater, folk music, and electronic production informs his dynamic approach. His compositions borrow from the unpredictable structures of progressive rock while incorporating electronic elements that recall the innovations of artists like 65daysofstatic.
Tracks like “Walker” showcase his ability to channel raw intensity by using jagged rhythms and distorted guitars to create an atmosphere that feels both aggressive and purposeful. As Sky_A puts it,
It’s an angry piece of music. Like, anti-imperial levels of anger. It’s about having been lied to, having participated in awful things on a huge scale, and becoming aware, resolving to undo the damage that has been done. It’s a bit like a war march, sonically.
Drummer Adam Betts (Three Trapped Tigers) and producer Aneek Thapar play vital roles in shaping the record’s sound. Adam’s intricate and kinetic drumming adds an unpredictable, almost chaotic energy, while Aneek’s production refines Sky_A’s ideas into something that feels cinematic in scope. The end result is an album that thrives on movement. Both within individual tracks and as a complete and interconnected experience.
Beyond just sound, Sky_A extends his storytelling into the visual realm. His live performance of Labyrinths is set to be an immersive audiovisual experience, with a continuous film accompanying the music. Slated to debut at Bath House Hackney on release day, the show promises to further blur the lines between music, film, and performance art.
With Labyrinths, Sky_A delivers a record that refuses to stay in one place. It’s an intricate, dramatic, and constantly evolving album that not only invites one in but dares them to lose themselves within its maze.
Listen to our interview with Sky_A from January 2024.
