Just Look At That Sky is well-served by its own simplicity. Simplicity here doesn’t mean complacence; Ganser’s spirited performances are anything but. Instead, it speaks to a nailing of the fundamentals; a non-exclusive prioritisation of assurance over ambition, and a rare but very welcome clarity of purpose. And let’s be honest: when many people describe an album as “ambitious”, what they really mean is “expensive-sounding” anyway. Here simplicity provides a space which Ganser fill with their gusto, charm and technical expertise.
The band serve up—with Devo-like precision—a powerfully-delivered medley of fist-pumping post-punk hits, shot through with naked brutality, and peppered with deft experimental touches. Melodies are consciously simple, sustained by vocalist Nadia Garofalo’s easy charisma and gravelly timbre. They benefit too from a stable guitar tone and an unfussy, clear mix. Compositions consequently feel much more complex and dynamic than they actually are; essentially, you can keep track of everything at the same time as it’s blowing your mind.
Withholding so much actually requires more courage than a maximalist approach. Ganser are confident enough in the success of their ideas not to try and dilute or disguise them. Far more touching in practice than bands who blast platitudes from megaphones are ones who feel as though they are conferring a secret directly into your ear. Ganser have the wisdom to distinguish impact from amplification; power from noise. That’s probably how they manage to wring so much enjoyment from an album which sounds like it was recorded in a hyperbaric chamber the size of a caravan.
If all this makes Just Look At That Sky sound one-note, it’s not. There is a lot of diversity to be found throughout the album. A late explosion of sunshine in the tracklist, ‘[NO YES]’, garnishes its bright instrumental hook with samples from a vintage interview. The track works beautifully; think the early (good) work of Public Service Broadcasting, or a less frightening My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
On the less breezy side is ‘Projector’, a lean track propelled by Alicia Gaines’ beefy bass. The track is surprisingly dark; brunt-treacle-y enough to have sat on Savages’ debut, Silence Yourself. Garofalo even channels the quasi-cabaret delivery of ex-Savages vocalist Jehnny Beth. Yet another contrasting mood immediately follows ‘Projector’, as ‘Emergency Equipment and Exits’ flips the script into jubilant new-wave territory with an instrumental as lush as any in Echo & the Bunnymen’s catalogue. (And bonus points: it doesn’t even come off in a cringe, Stranger-Things sort of way like these things often can.)
That so many very different tracks can invisibly share space is testament to Ganser’s gentle touch. Nothing is jarring on this album—but almost everything is surprising. Ganser constantly push, but do not shove. As kind people speak through deeds, not words, talented musicians never scream proclamations of their own talent, but commit to their craft. Ganser seem intimately aware of their own strengths and musical proclivities and, with single-minded and admirable determination, have channelled them into a hugely enjoyable album.
Just Look At That Sky is available for purchase and streaming here.
Words: Andrew O’Keefe
