thus owls – who would hold you if the sky betrayed us?

It took me a long while to figure out how I could like an album but not be enjoying it. Like an over-salted meal in a very nice restaurant, ‘WWHYITSBU’ offers a maximalist experience with the presumption that you are going to be stunned. When Thus Owls fail to reach the lofty heights of their intent, the illusion shatters and thereafter, at best, reflects a fragmented beauty. While conceived in complete earnest, the band’s ambition leads them to overindulge, extending their post-rock ideas to the point of cursory experimentalism. Sadly, while there is much to love here, there is so much more to yearn.

17/30

A favourite: ‘Peregrine’

‘Who Would Hold You If The Sky Betrayed Us?’ is out now via Angell & Angell.