“Blood Red Skies” is a heavenly song defined by layered vocals and elegant feel changes. If there’s a relatively unknown artist in the indie folk scene that you should know about, it’s Muzzy Hooks. There’s an organic beauty to the way this song flows. A jumble of acoustic guitar, bass, and piano haphazardly comes together to create this raw emotionality. Much like Bon Iver or Elliot Smith, Muzzy Hooks crafts touching music with a casual vocal performance—but it’s an undeniable truth that the sound he fosters is unique and unlike anything you’ve heard before.
High-pitched piano echoes through the intro. You can hear the gentle thump of the pedal releasing between each chord, a subtle yet clever way to give the song authenticity. “Sunsets over Gemini skies,” Muzzy Hooks croons in a dreamy falsetto. Layers (of both chorus and other spacey effects) envelop the melody. Other instrumental textures slide in and out of focus, gently pulling our attention from one thing to another. By the time the chorus comes in, a percussive groove has unfolded. It goes from being an ambient, shoegaze-y track to something folksy and upbeat in mere seconds. Then, after another iteration of the previous sectionally, the timing changes completely. The swing turns to straight eighths and the tempo ramps up. The Bass hits every quarter note like a bluegrass song while the guitar hits all the upbeats. This bridge is indicative of natural musical tenacity and solidifies the brilliance of the writing.
Be sure to give Muzzy Hooks a listen and a follow! You won’t regret it.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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