we.own.the.sky - In Your Absence

Instrumental post-rock has become a heavily populated ecosystem. As well as rife competition, there is seemingly no end to online debates philosophising about how the term ‘post-rock’ can or should be defined. Into this busy environment enters  we.own.the.sky from Greece with their third album release In Your Absence. Prima facie, this band’s choice of name, the album title and beguiling sleeve art (depicting a figure on a rooftop seemingly awe struck at the enormity of the evening cosmos above) all are suggestive of this being a work of wistful big emotion and the kind of high-altitude hooklines post-rock has monopolised. These suspicions seem to be correct with the tense cinematic introduction of Dying Light and the first full track The Urge to Prey. The latter’s down-tuned, insistent riffs and rapturous airy lead melodies are actually near the broodier, heavier end of the post-rock Richter Scale. It’s a strong, impactful start to the record and an arresting statement of this band’s capabilities.

From then on, however, In Your Absence is more varied. The track Monolith may have a song title fit for the world-ending cataclysm of Neurosis, but it’s instead comparatively uplifting in mood with an almost a carefree atmosphere. The warmer textures are continued elsewhere in the positively summery thrums and sunny noodling of Everbreathing which elevates into joyous, meteoric riffs. When the easy-going guitar plucks of Fragile, Alive kick in, it’s evocative of the unplugged grunge era and you can almost imagine Chris Cornell or Eddie Vedder quietly crooning along with deep life reflections.  Peppered across the record are djent-lite moments of bouncing bass lines and the likes of Eclipse has jagged, slaloming stop-start riffs and proggy percussion. That and the trashier, looser Liminal Space demonstrate that, in their hearts, we.own.the.sky are a to-the-point rock band with a more direct approach than many other instrumentalist contemporaries.

When the band quieten, the hushed calm moments are as equally profound as the squalls of riffs. Swarm is a more fragile track, reminiscent of the mid-2000s post-rock such as perhaps Red Sparrowes that builds exponentially with luminous melodies and is followed by the lovely, mellow reflective acoustic thrum of Every Nothing.

In Your Absence is a curious but captivating record and loosely inspired by emotions of “absence, loss and finding meaning in an ever-changing world”. This band are clearly clever and emotionally intelligent musicians with a sophisticated understanding of optimising interplays and timings. The album’s production is sumptuous and enunciating while the content keeps the attention with well-paced wending song structures and bridges. The mood and topography are varied swinging from crunching post-metal riffs to nuanced clear melodies and breezy, caressing mellowness. Whereas many instrumental post-rock bands can get lost in atmospheres and wistfulness, In Your Absence can be more rock focussed and very much in your presence.

Here is a link to bandcamp: https://weownthesky.bandcamp.com/album/in-your-absence