ALBUM REVIEW: Somali Yacht Club - "The Sea"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/01/2018

Label: Robustfellow |

Kozmik Artifactz

Basking in sonic emersion and drawing from an Elder influence, Somali Yacht Club succeeds in taking the listener on that well-known ride of warm tones and meandering melodies. In the world of progressive psych-rock, confidence is key and these Ukranians hold that key and open every door with it that they can.

“The Sea” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Vero
2. Religion Of Man
3. Blood Leave A Trail
4. Hydrophobia
5. 84 Days
6. Crows

The Review:

Rolling down the road from the musical hotbed that is Eastern Europe, Somali Yacht Club gives 2018 one of its first releases. Released on January 28th, the new album, “The Sea,” follows the band’s preceding output rather seamlessly in both name and sound alike. Musically, “The Sea” is a logical next step. Sonically, it’s the sure-footed performance and the resulting vibe that these tunes exude that makes the album what it is. In the world of progressive psych-rock, confidence is key and these Ukranians hold that key and open every door with it that they can.

If you were to put on “The Sea” and close your eyes, you’d be taken away by the music. It’s all about the mood. Whether it’s the upbeat, kraut-rocking opener “Vero” or the swirling “Hydrophobia” – which takes a stoner-rocking twist there at the end, “The Sea” is an album that delivers quality psych for its full duration. Like its gorgeous cover art, “The Sea” flows gently, travels freely, and traverses many realms of the stratosphere. No single sound or melody actually stands out, but that’s ok, because the album as a whole works well. The tunes and grooves may fade to the background, but do so in such a way that they set the mood.

With “The Sea,”Somali Yacht Club tries their hand at the formula of combining heavy-prog with psychedelic, stoner riffing. Though the bar for this formula was set pretty high with Elder’s “Lore” in 2015, Somali Yacht Clubdoesn’t shy away from taking a stab at it themselves. Basking in sonic emersion and drawing from an Elder influence, Somali Yacht Club succeeds in taking the listener on that well-known ride of warm tones and meandering melodies.

“The Sea”is available on CD//DD hereand LP to follow

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp || Twitter