Fossa - Sea of Skies

by Erick Mertz

published: 21 / 5 / 2015

Label: Fantastic Plastic Records
Format: CDS

intro

Melancholic debut EP from soft UK songcrafters Fossa that hints at much more

So rarely are listeners of modern rock embellished with a sense of beauty. It’s the fear of cliches. Yet Fossa (noun meaning “anatomical pit or depression”) arrive with their debut, 'Sea of Skies', an aptly-titled EP filled with a wash of softness and woe. The four songs are structured classically, layering mostly acoustic guitars with a smattering of digital elements (check out the cacophonous crashing about on 'Butterfly') that create a dire sense of depth (heartache, your name is 'Swan Song'). While there are hints of bands like melody makers Grizzly Bear, or Talk Talk, my needle pushed more to Wild Beasts, the playful falsetto vocals and volitant (listen to 'Five Days' and tell me otherwise) stream of conscious lyrics directly out of that hedonistic musical playground. I would be remiss to name one track without endeavoring to name them all (which isn’t impossible, considering there are four) so play the opener 'Sea of Trees' on a drive and see if you’re able to say on course. Soft isn’t a dig, nor is sincere. What Fossa accomplishes with melody, a simple subject like whirlwind discovery of love and loss is astounding. What am I left wanting? More. The textures and images on 'Sea of Skies' are enough to keep the imagination on a string, and when the record changes you are left with nary a recourse other than to start over.