Sunship Balloon, Everywhen
Self-Released
Music is a pretty extraordinary thing; you never know when a track will ground you in the present or catapult you right up into the stars. Experimental duo Sunship Balloon have taken this notion and ran with it on their debut full-length, crafting a musical experience rather than a stagnant playthrough. Melding electro/lo-fi/indie/trance, Everywhen truly lives up to its name – it exists in a liminal, timeless sonic bubble, entirely shutting down the outside world for 50 minutes. With its thoughtful production and dense layering, this is an album that will only mature with each listen.
What you’ll immediately notice about Everywhen is its embracing of experimental sounds; opening track 1982 lacks any vocals, thriving in its space-y, morphing soundscape. The band recently told us that they felt certain tracks spoke for themselves, not needing any vocals, and we can’t help but agree – 1982 is a perfect gateway track, beckoning you into the floaty, ethereal world of Sunship Balloon. In the same vein, Everywhen also lets the music do the talking, with its gorgeous, vibrating video-game soundtrack experience.
When vocals do feature, they aren’t safe from the album’s distortions and experimental tweaking. Tracks like the soft A Beach In The Middle Of Space features vocal distortion, while the far more experimental Individuality builds up layers of ‘eee’s in a way that is odd… yet somehow deeply atmospheric. Vocals even become part of sonic landscape for certain tracks; Shadow Giants blends vocals within a steady and echoing soundscape, while Flat Earthers uses one repeated sample of echoing, drawn-out vocals, which melt into the dense layering of the track.
Not every track is entirely left-field, however. Though Sunship Balloon excel in their experimental endeavours, they use this expertise to spice up more conventional genres. There’s a little something for everyone nestled within this album, be it the awesome, lo-fi tinged Riding With Elephants or the floaty, synth-y, Pet Shop Boys-esque A4 Life. Yet, again, this is an album that goes Everywhen – while it may hark back to the 80s, tracks like Hashtag World explore notions of modern and future technology, paired with a fittingly futuristic sound.
Sunship Balloon truly glow when embracing light, shimmering instrumentals. Halcyon Days feel like floating on a cloud, while 1224 Fantasia feels like a burst of sonic sunshine with it’s infectiously bright calls of ‘fantaaaasiaaaa!’. Interstellar Ride feels equally as invigorating, with instrumentals that feel reminiscent of the duo’s other project, a little ol’ band called The Wombats.
Innovative and unconventional, Everywhen isn’t an album you’ll come across every day – but that doesn’t mean you won’t love it. With a sharp pair of minds at the wheel, this album is produced to movie soundtrack standards, resulting in an absolute journey of a listen. There’s something for everyone in this album, guaranteed – you just need to take the time to delve in to find it!
Get Everywhen here.
