Release Date: April 22nd 2022. Record Label: Season Of Mist Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
The Space - Tracklisting
Silver
Pulsar
Obscurum
Echo Of Direction
Gold
Momentum
Members
Mezk Erei - Guitar/Vocals
Artur Savluk - Bass
Lesyk Magula - Drums
Review
Things were looking so good and hopeful for Ukrainian Psych/Space/Stoner Rockers Somali Yacht Club who had just signed a new deal with Season Of Mist Records to reissue their back catalogue and release their new album The Space. However, Russia had other plans with their horrible invasion of Ukraine. That hasn't stopped Somali Yacht Club by releasing their 3rd album The Space.
This is a record full of hopeful moments that sees Somali Yacht Club expand their sound with huge sounding areas of Psyched Out Space Rock that sees the band play similar styles of music to bands such as Elephant Tree, Weedpecker and Pallbearer in places. Perhaps their best and most mature offering to date and I could have seen these guys make huge strides on on the live circuit within the Stoner Rock/Metal community if Russia didn't invade their home country.
The album opens with the stunning first track Silver which sees the band offer a more mature blend of songwriting and vocal passages as well. The music has an optimistic gloomy or Post-Doom feel to it that has echoes of Pallbearer but with that Somali Yacht Club swagger still shining through. The grooves are more "Rock" than "Metal" though still showing a fine appetite for all things Doom, Sludge and Stoner sounds lovingly wrapped in Psychedelic Spaced Out Riffs.
Second song Pulsar has echoes of Synth Driven Psychedelic Post-Rock rhythms before moving onto heavier DOOM based pastures. The music is quite melancholic with uplifting aggressively heavy passages that sees the band fully explore the areas of Post-Rock and Post-Stoner their music fully resides in whilst offering a Progressive Sludgy outlook on certain stages of the song. The song lasts more than nine moments and it's a beautifully structured song that has levels of real intelligence amongst the different styles of music contained on this song.
Third song Obscurum opens once again with echoes of Post-Rock/Post-Stoner vibes before slowly expanding into more heavier sludgy and gloomy atmospherics but held together by a wonderfully uplifting "Psych" score that only elevates the "indie" based vocals to another level. Shades of nineties Alt-Metal keep things relatively grounded but still allowing Somali Yacht Club the opportunity to venture further into their Space Rock world. There are some fantastic guitar solos on this song that do have a certain Post-Metal quality to it all.
The album moves even further into hopeful Post-Rock/Post-Stoner territory on the second half of the album but with the band still playing slightly heavier distorted grooves and elements on songs such as Echo Of Direction and Momentum. These are two of the other lengthier songs on the album lasting over nine minutes and twelve minutes respectively.
Somali Yacht Club opt for a more cinematic style of delivery on the second half of the album but it works so well with even more blistering and heavy Psych/Space Rock moments merged with their gloomy Sludge/Stoner instrumental work. The vocals yet again are excellent with a fantastic lead performance from Mezk Erei who puts in a commanding vocal performance from start to finish.
The whole band play their part by making The Space such a joyous, uplifting, thrilling and beautifully heavy sonic experience. The record also has first rate production values and is without doubt perhaps the best that Somali Yacht Club have sounded to date.
Overall, The Space is an exciting and emotionally charged record that allows this to be a genuine Album Of The Year Contender. Don't let this record pass you by. Add this to your collection now.
Words by Steve Howe
The Space is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Season Of Mist Records.
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