Supercloud’s Abandon All Reason EP caused quite the stir around these here parts when it was released during the heady days of 2020’s weird, claustrophobic summer. ‘We can’t wait to see what they do next,’ proclaimed the last line of our review, so, of course, they promptly split up. It’s a temporary break, we’re assured.
However, out of the earth of something promising have sprung multiple things of even more promise. Supercloud frontman Loup Havenith has gone solo and ‘Sailor’, his second single after last year’s ‘SEATTLE 2’, is produced by bandmate Lloyd Ledingham (better known under his solo pseudonym, Lloyd’s House).
What’s evident from ‘Sailor’ is the structure and nuance of Loup’s writing. On first listen, it’s not entirely clear which bit is the chorus or whether there properly is one, but it still manages to sweep you along before becoming the textbook definition of a grower. As it turns out, the chorus almost sounds like a middle eight before hitting a relatively noisy bit which is all the better for its restraint.
There’s a vulnerability to the vocals, a comfort in the descending arpeggio accompaniment and an ache in the song’s final minute that could fill anyone’s contemplative night-time headphones. We can’t wait to see what he does next.
