Porridge Radio – ‘Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me’ album review: no holding back
THE SKINNY: Many artists set out to put their innermost feelings on show when they pick up a pen or a guitar, hoping to drag their emotions out in the studio in order to make their listeners feel them too, but few have achieved this feat quite as consistently or as palpably as Porridge Radio. Led by vocalist Dana Margolin, the Brighton-born band have created one of the most aching sounds in indie rock, and their latest record, Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me, only reasserts this ability.
A large part of Porridge Radio’s emotionally gutting sound stems from Margolin’s talent behind the microphone. She’s a gifted songwriter, of course, employing repetition and intense emotion to reach her end goal, but there’s something about her vocal delivery that drives the potency of Porridge Radio. She doesn’t hold back. Her trembling voice is what has drawn so many fans to their catalogue, and fortunately, it’s just as present on Clouds In The Sky as ever before.
Lyrically, she’s guided by a range of intense emotions from across her love life and her work life, detailing insecurities induced by relationships and longings to reconnect with the world. Her vocals continue to enhance the emotion within her words, desperately repeating phrases with increased urgency and anxiety, but her lyrical style has developed, too. Her stark emotional admissions are interlaced with poetic imagery as she commits to a more literary form of introspection.
Margolin may take centre stage on Clouds In The Sky, her emotions and voice driving the record forward, but the instrumentation that sits beneath is just as well crafted. Her band flits between softer moments that allow her newfound imagery to shine, adorning them with gentle synths, lonely pianos, and emotional swells that will have become all too familiar to Porridge Radio listeners.
Clouds In The Sky isn’t a change in direction for Porridge Radio, it sits within the same realm of their previous releases. But it does feel like the most well-honed version of this sound yet, each choice upholding Margolin’s emotions as she reaches for release.
For fans of: Going cliff diving and backing out.
A concluding comment from Karl Jung: “And I thought I went deep into the psyche!”
Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me track by track
Release date: October 18th | Label: Secretly Canadian | Producer: Dom Monks
‘Anybody’: The opening moments of Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me are also amongst the calmest, at least emotionally. “I don’t know anybody,” vocalist Dana Margolin shrugs over a collection of soothing keys. But don’t get too comfortable. The track gradually devolves into the intensity that usually characterises Porridge Radio’s sound – and this new record is no exception. [3.5/5]
‘A Hole In The Ground’: Twinkling keys find their way into ‘A Hole In The Ground’, held up by whirrs and striking percussion. Margolin’s trembling vocals sit just atop, ruminating on relationships with poetic skill. “Sky above, sky below,” she sings, “Five years more of directional love.” [3/5]
‘Lavender Raspberries’: ‘Lavender Raspberries’ pushes Margolin and her bandmates into gloomier territory, delving even further into intense lyrical poetry. “I have the urge to jump off the balcony,” she sings towards the beginning of the song, “land with a smash where passersby will be.” Every phrase is carefully crafted to match the intensity of their sound, not just in tone but in imagery, too. [3.5/5]
‘God Of Everything Else’: Clouds In The Sky often finds itself returning to feelings of insecurity induced by so-called love, mirroring the gravitas of those emotions with theatrical drums and cinematic wells. ‘God Of Everything Else’ finds Margolin trying to forgive herself for those feelings, grappling with the criticisms of her lover while reasserting her confidence. [3/5]
‘Sleeptalker’: A song that would slot perfectly into Fiona Apple’s oeuvre. Gentle pianos underscore Margolin’s longing to be in love with the world once more, her layered vocalisations serving to soften the intensity of her words. As is to be expected, the track picks up in its second half, collecting the weight of Margolin’s words, hurtling towards catharsis. [3.5/5]
‘You Will Come Home’: An otherworldly synth enters the fore on ‘You Will Come Home’, one of few sounds on the record that doesn’t ground it in reality. Margolin’s words mirror this, as she sings, “Far away, far from me, everything glistens…” A longing to love again, perhaps, a song in wait. [3.5/5]
‘Wednesday’: ‘Wednesday’ feels like a glimpse into a slightly quieter part of Margolin’s mind. Over a quivering organ side, she delivers profundities about forgiveness in spring and longings for a good November. At times, it feels like a series of pretty statements collated into one song, for better or worse. [3/5]
‘In A Dream’: ‘In A Dream’ commits to its title instrumentally, placing Margolin’s voice into an echoey distance, surrounding it with soft synths and surreal clicks. Each sonic choice invites you to join her as she dreams of everything. “Nothing makes me sad now,” Margolin asserts towards the end of the song, though her delivery tells another story. [3/5]
‘I Get Lost’: ‘I Get Lost’ is one of the simplest songs on Clouds In The Sky, but it’s also one of the most endearing. Over a gentle acoustic strum and magical synths, Margolin’s delivery feels as if she’s reading you a fairytale, beckoning you into the story with a “one, two, three…” [3.5/5]
‘Pieces of Heaven’: A piece of sonic heaven. [3/5]
‘Sick Of The Blues’: “I’m sick of the blues, I’m in love with my life again,” Margolin asserts on the closing track. She might not entirely believe her second statement just yet, but the conclusion is full of catharsis and respite, a decision to chase happiness instead of harbouring self-hatred. [3.5/5]
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