The Flight 'The Sinner Inside'

EP Review

Henson and Smith go right back to 2005, which saw them collaborate on the production of an album for Joe’s then band Seventhsun. Since then, the pair has been producing, composing, song writing - you name it. They have worked with music industry giants including Lana Del Rey and newcomer Chloe Howel, and even composed soundtracks for some of the game industry’s biggest titles, namely Alien Isolation and Assassins Creed. The duo encountered well-earned success with the release of their debut record entitled ‘Hangman’, which featured guest vocals from Keaton Henson, and landed a top 10 place in the Hype Machine ‘Popular Chart’.

The band’s website describes their ‘wildly divergent musical tastes’, and ‘The Sinner Inside’ is no exception to this rule; the album takes us on a whirlwind journey from pop through to folk, religion to love. The title track showcases the breezy vocals of Alana Stewart, an American singer-songwriter who features throughout much of the EP. Stewart’s sound is effortlessly light, laced with an edge of profundity; she woos us with her aching lyrics amidst mellow strings. The singer tells of heartbreak and foolishness with the contagious lyrics ‘I see my whole life was symptomatic, commonly tragic’, complimented by delayed drum beats and light percussionist hits, rendering the track easy and hypnotic; infectious, but not annoying. As the chorus drives through, the tempo is upped and the song is given a roaring kick. In true ‘divergent’ style, The Flight’s opening single straddles genres of pop and alternative, in this unique combination of ethereal choruses and atmospheric drums, all drawn together by an overhead pop melody.

‘The Idol and The Idle’ is the second track of the EP, a faster paced and less poppy ensemble which shares a similar airy feeling. It moves into folk-rock territory, carried again by Stewart’s raw lyricism. She touches upon the unconventional music topics of God, religion and the ethics of idolism, which steers the track firmly away from the realms of pop that we can hear in the previous single. ‘Safe With You’ retains a similar sentiment; it’s an acoustic based reverie opened with soft guitar plucks and lazy vocals. The Flight throw in an unpredictable twist to the close of their EP with ‘Ad Astra’; it begins foreboding with a heavy alternating base, later lifted by a crescendo of starlit chords – the track makes for an incredibly atmospheric end to the album.

‘The Sinner Inside’ is set for release on 12^th May via Apologetic Records; it’s going to be a big one.

- Claudia Turnbull

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