When it comes to recording your debut album, there are worse people to have behind you than the likes of Dave Catching, of Eagles of Death Metal and Queens of the Stone Age fame, never mind have him open your album with an almost minute-long introduction. Sky Valley Mistress have just that and a hell of an album, showing quite how they managed to get the Mojave Lord to back them.
There are a couple of different feels to the album, though not in a way that would suggest a fractured vision of the band’s sound, more a showcase of the various aspects of the sheer ability of the group, taking the smouldering Blues crescendo that is ‘It Won’t Stop’ – my own personal favourite from a very strong album – and running to a very much stoner groove in the likes of ‘Punk Song’, a groove that is prominent across most of the album. Whether it’s the phenomenal talents of Kayley on vocals, who alternates between a seductive, smouldering tone and a wail of Nancy Wilson in full swing with plenty in between, or Sean, Maxwell or Russell who are quite adept themselves on guitar, drums and bass respectively, with the hooks being based across all three instruments rather than solely the guitar, which adds a depth to songwriting that I have rarely encountered on a debut release.
A lot of this album refers to their fuzz riddled side, as shown in the almost sleazy feeling ‘Punk Song’, uptempo and full of attitude at the same time with the vibe continuing with the likes of ‘Skull & Pistons’, which confers an almost psychedelic edge that is so prevalent in so much of the desert rock scene to the stoner grooves. ‘Blue Desert’ is another ode to their more psychedelic sound and also their longest, sat at 11 minutes and almost twice the length of the next longest, showcasing quite how delicate their sonic landscape can be in comparison to the full out front and bluster of most of this release. It leaves you in mind of sitting around a campfire in ye olde wild west, imbibing of a peace pipe or two with your Indian counterpart and relaxing as your mind spreads out into space. This would be the standout track on the album for me if it wasn’t for how ridiculously ‘It Won’t Stop’ has ear wormed me and leaves me in mind of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Dazed and Confused’ performed in a desert rock setting with added strings.
After last year’s explosion of new releases from bands of the 90s and 2000s, albums like this demonstrate why the music scene is thriving still today, despite the venue issues across the UK, showcasing a group who may be at the start of their recording journey together but are surely destined for a bright future. While ‘Punk Song’ would sit well alongside a lot of the newer wave of current stoner bands such as Ten Foot Wizard and their ilk, there is more than sufficient old school appeal to fans of desert rock, blues and similar genres beyond just the usual hard rock or stoner audiences that this should become an essential listen for anyone looking to find the cream of upcoming talent. It is a very strong release without a single filler of bad track on it, with the oiled feel of a band that have a lot more experience together under their belt than this quartet do. Now I’m off to listen to ‘It Won’t Stop’ on repeat for the next hour (again).
- ‘Faithless Rituals’ is released today (Friday 20 March). You can get your copy HERE.
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