Sound Of Sky Turns Grief Into a Cinematic Journey on 'After The Sun Went Dark'

There’s something fascinating about artists who stop trying to sound “correct.” Sound Of Sky feels like one of those projects. After The Sun Went Dark doesn’t move like a polished industry release built for playlists and short attention spans. It moves like memory. Messy, emotional, nonlinear memory.

Created in the aftermath of losing his father following a long battle with dementia, the EP carries an emotional weight that’s impossible to fake. But what makes the project work isn’t just the grief behind it; it’s the willingness to experiment without fear of failure. Across these four tracks, Sound Of Sky abandons rigid structure in favor of instinct, atmosphere, and emotional honesty.

“Resolver” opens the project in haunting fashion, blending ambient textures with falsetto vocal fragments that somehow communicate more than full verses probably could. The track drifts between sadness and acceptance, proving instrumental music doesn’t need lyrics to say something meaningful.

“MM19” expands the sonic palette even further, drawing on classical phrasing and Spanish-style melodies while introducing richer bass movement and layered synth textures. It feels hypnotic without becoming repetitive, which honestly is harder to pull off than people think.

Then there’s “Life Uhh Finds A Way,” the undeniable centerpiece of the project. The song constantly evolves, shifting through ambient passages, distorted emotional eruptions, math-rock-inspired rhythmic changes, and cinematic synth work that feels almost weightless at times. It’s chaotic but deeply intentional. The kind of track that rewards patience instead of demanding instant gratification.

“Dry Heat” closes the release with a looser, more playful energy, experimenting with dance rhythms, reggae-inspired guitar moments, live scratching, and textural layering that feels surprisingly alive. It’s imperfect, slightly rough around the edges, and honestly stronger because of it.

What separates After The Sun Went Dark from so much modern ambient music is its sincerity. Nothing here feels emotionally manufactured. Sound Of Sky allows the songs to breathe, stumble, wander, and unfold naturally, rather than forcing neat resolutions onto complicated emotions.

In a music landscape obsessed with optimization, this project chooses humanity instead. And that decision makes it unforgettable.

After The Sun Went Dark feels incredibly personal without relying heavily on lyrics. Was instrumental storytelling always the goal for this project?

Surprisingly, no. I fully intended to continue writing words and melodies, but between wanting to find ways to evolve my sound and the fact that I cannot, for the life of me, write complete songs or workshop vocals and lyrics without complete and utter solitude, things took a different direction.

Even if there’s just one person nearby, or even neighbors who might be able to hear distant sounds, that simple awareness that someone else’s ears might be taking it in, ready or not, raw and unpolished, consciously or subconsciously, makes me feel like I’m performing at that point.

I always want to come to the table with something that’s been polished, refined, stamped, and ready for consumption. When I perform something, it needs to feel 100% right. No moments that feel flat or awkward. It needs to feel satisfying from beginning to end.

“Life Uhh Finds A Way” goes through so many emotional and sonic transformations. Did you map that song out intentionally, or did it evolve naturally while recording?

Noooo… not at all. I had the intro guitar vibe and basically nothing else after that. Adding a reverse delay definitely put me into a space that called back a kind of '60s sound. That part in particular reminded me of the intro to that Kenny Rogers song they used in The Big Lebowski for some reason.

The Kaossilator and synth sounds I added alongside the intro guitar helped push it into a place that left a lot of wide-open room for anything to happen. Looking back, I think that space and silence played a much bigger role than I realized.

The rest were really just happy accidents. Trying different guitar effects, randomly hitting chords that sounded good. It was all total unplanned discovery.

A lot of the project embraces imperfections, accidental moments, and experimentation. Do you think modern music has become too polished?

I don’t think so, at least not for me personally.

I think everyone’s preferences are unique. There are definitely times when I feel like my YouTube algorithm is pushing too much clean, polished, formulaic music at me, or I’ll wonder if AI made what I’m hearing.

I think the last time I answered this question, I was more neutral about it, but as I’m answering now and thinking about it, I may actually switch my answer. Laughs.

I would say there’s still an abundance of rough, unpolished DIY music being made and cataloged today, so I don’t worry that we’re losing something because of all this luscious, high-fidelity studio-quality audio. I think it’s a treat.

I also know there will always be weirdos and boundary-pushers creating the counterpoint to all of that. Artists like Angine de Poitrine, incredible free-jazz musicians, and hip-hop artists who reject traditional songwriting blueprints and inspire others to do the same.

So no, I don’t think music has become too polished.

You mention no longer wanting to hide behind monikers. How much of Sound Of Sky feels closer to your true identity creatively?

Sound Of Sky feels about as close as I’d like to get to using my real name. Though it’s easily findable, it’s still nice to have a little buffer.

I do think it’s a pretty good and appropriate name. Unfortunately, it’s already in use by some other groups, but I still feel the need to use it. It feels like a lovely fit for me.

Sky has been a nickname of mine, and like the sky itself, sometimes it’s sunny with a few clouds, and sometimes it’s cloudy with a little sun.

Between music and your visual art project, Sight Of Sky, do you see creativity now less as a career pursuit and more as a form of survival or healing?

Totally the latter.

I’ve always had ambitions of being a professional musician and artist, but at times I feel the price is, in fact, way too high. I go back and forth with it. I’m open to it, but I’m also very wary of it.

I’ve only very recently begun to re-understand how vital creating is to my mental health, sense of self, self-worth, and overall happiness.

If I get too wrapped up in success or recognition, it’s a direct route to a dead end and total misery. Because of that, I’m very grateful for where I am right now.

I feel kind of dumb even doing these questionnaires sometimes, but I justify it by reminding myself that my sounds, my songs, my children, so to speak, deserve a fair chance to be heard.

Hopefully, there’s value in them.