Three Quarter Skies – ‘Fade In’ album review: grappling with grief and the in-betweens
THE SKINNY: Amidst the shoegaze revival of the 2020s, genre pioneers Slowdive have experienced a wave of fresh interest. Fans new and old have flocked to festivals and venues each night to hear ‘When The Sun Hits’ and ‘Sugar for the Pill’ live, to catch a glimpse of shoegaze gods in the flesh. Behind-the-scenes, on tour buses and flights between sold-out shows and overflowing fields, drummer Simon Scott chanelled his emotions into a new project named Three Quarter Skies.
Scott’s debut album under this name, Fade In, spawns from the feelings of discomfort and grief he experienced on the road but off-stage, from the feelings of grief he grappled with after the loss of his mother, and the restlessness he felt out on the road. As a result, Fade In isn’t quite as pretty or delicate as some of Scott’s more dream-pop adjacent work with Slowdive.
Instead, he delves completely into noisy ambience, creating soundscapes that are at once beautiful and uncomfortable. There are guitars that call back to the stylings of Slowdive, but Scott creates meaning with strange percussion choices and abrasive moments of noise, grappling with the in-betweens of touring and grief through disconcerting production.
It’s a record that certainly fits into the Slowdive universe, and one that fans of the shoegazers will likely enjoy just as much as they enjoyed Everything Is Alive last year, particularly the more noise-inclined, but it’s still detached enough from the band to stand out on its own. Fade In is a demonstration of the drummer’s ability to create an atmosphere, but it’s also more personal endeavour for Scott, an encapsulation of all of his discomforts, the hope and longing for something softer.
For fans of: Off-setting the discomfort of liminal spaces with ambient noise.
A concluding comment from my boss: Is everything alright Elle, you’ve just been staring at a wall with your headphones on for an hour?”
Fade In track by track:
Producer: Simon Scott | Label: Sonic Cathedral | Release date: September 6th
‘Slight Betrayal’: A lengthy opening induces a trance-like state with distant vocals, repetitive noise, and floaty synths. Over seven minutes, Scott immediately captures the feeling of drifting between states – literal or emotional – with dragged-out ambience. [3.5/5]
‘Horn’: ‘Horn’ is a much shorter and softer offering. Scott swamps atmospheric synths for a trusty guitar, accompanying echoey twangs with little else. As if soundtracking a precious moment of reflection amidst the constant movement of living. [3/5]
‘Leave A Light On’: A more optimistic offering. ‘Leave A Light On’ pairs distorted Slowdive-style strums with tender vocals and snagging percussion. It’s still hard to make out what Scott’s saying, but there’s certainly a feeling of hope bubbling beneath the surface. [3/5]
‘Crows’: Borrowing its name from the jet black bird, Scott has described ‘Crows’ as the most personal song he’s written, charting the experience of losing his parents. It’s desolate and dense at the same time, infused with feeling in every strum and every strike of percussion. It’s one of the finest offerings on Fade In. [4/5]
‘Holy Water’: Scott offsets the devastation of ‘Crows’ with tambourines and gentle guitars on ‘Holy Water’. He layers his own vocals with Rachael Swinton’s ethereal backing contributions, before they fade into a glorious outro of almost healing guitars. [3.5/5]
‘Superwoman’: ‘Superwoman’ serves as one of the best examples of Scott’s ability to create sonic ambience. It’s simultaneously noisy and calm, with a stagnating drum beat, a layer of fuzz, and gorgeous vocal melodies sitting somewhere underneath it all. [3.5/5]
‘Pieces of Roslin’: ‘Pieces of Roslin’ was initially released on Scott’s debut EP with Three Quarter Skies last year, but the song also finds its way onto Fade In. It follows from ‘Superwoman’ perfectly, maintaining that noisy ambience with slightly grander drums and lyrics buried even further below. [3.5/5]
‘In The Night’: Scott’s most ambitious endeavour comes at the close of Fade In with the nine-and-a-half minute long ‘In The Night’. The Slowdive drummer well and truly takes his time with this track, allowing for a whole minute of shimmering ambience at its opening. From there, he charts the ever-changing feelings of grief or transit, playing with acoustic twangs, tremendous noise, and a tinnitus-like tone that underscores the track. [4/5]
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