ALBUM: SKY LARKIN - MOTTO

"Keep it newsworthy" Sky Larkin's Katie Harkin urges us; a poignant message in the information-saturated 21st century, but it remains baffling how Sky Larkin themselves have not attracted such widespread attentions. 'Motto' is the band's third record after the solid debut 'The Golden Spike' and the sparkling 'Kaleide', and while the last few years have seen Harkin lending her talents to the Wild Beasts' live set up as well as some line-up changes, the molten core of the Sky Larkin world is unchanged. 

More than anything else, 'Motto' is an album of imperatives. From the lyrical content ("Keep it newsworthy", "Breathe it in, carve it out") to the relentless ever-present guitars, the record asks the listener to listen, to engage, to do. What is more, however much 'Motto' may ask of you it repays in buckets of heart and charm; the importance of this mutual relationship is keenly felt. Tracks like 'Italics' entice you in initially with killer hooks and in return you get the pleasure of listening to a band who have achieved a harmonious equilibrium; every instrument and voice shines without ever stepping on their neighbours' toes. This album in particular stands out in the Sky Larkin discography because it is, at times, more human and pained than what has come before. While 'Loom' and 'Treasury' collide wistful guitars with odes to loss, 'Overgrown' and album closer 'Que Linda (Wake To Applause)' are the most downbeat tracks on 'Motto', arguably even more poignant than Harkin's earlier pleas on 'Newsworthy'.  

There's only so many times you can knock on a door until you must surely be heard. Sky Larkin have been knocking for a while now, and the irresistible quality of 'Motto' will, hopefully, cause many to open the door, usher the band inside and offer them a cup of Yorkshire Tea. It's all they deserve, after all. 

9/10

Sky Larkin