Album Review : Miles East’s ‘Between Lightning and Thunder’

Miles East is a unique brand of singer-songwriter. Despite their mellow flows and instrumentals, they evoke an impressive contemplative depth and imaginative scenes. His music blends blues with an encompassing post rock and indie folk ethos in a way that fills your mind and engulfs your sentience. You’ll also see references to The Beatles, Nick Drake, Neil Young, Linkin Park, and Elliott Smith. Contemporary and classic. His latest release is ‘Between Lightning and Thunder’, a ten track album that explores the melancholy, abstractness, and transience of life and all its experiences. He dwells in them before breezing past them to the next frame. It is all poetically cast in the undefinable space that exists between lighting and thunder. Listen Now! 

‘Better Than Here’ introduces the collection, its soft and gentle planes perfectly setting out the essence of the artist. In ‘All Hands on Deck’ we experience dazed, monotonal folk rock, with its beauty rising out of subtle instrumental and vocal intricacies. These two tracks definitely set out the acoustic majesty of this artist. There’s a linguistic grace that he infuses not only lyrically but sonically in a way that carries you away. 

In tracks like ‘Lying Down’ and ‘It’s Ours to Lose’, he dotes and showers the composition with achingly tender detail. Getting lost in its melodic minutia distills the beauty of being human. The rhythm picks up in ‘Lucky to Be Here Tonight’. Warm and sunny, it takes you back to the soundscapes of Sufjan Stevens. 

‘For A Sky of Crimson’ and ‘Circling The Drain’ bring a distinct country flavor to the album which phases into 70s melodic folk in the title track. It is pausing and pensive. The artist’s interpretation of the theme comes out in this track. It is plush and idyllic, soft and fresh like spring. ‘Song of Hope’ and ‘All I Need’ conclude the collection on a heartwarming and hopeful note. The acoustic atmospheres and storytelling narratives are marked with mellow depths and shallow melancholy. 

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The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music! 

You can listen to ‘Between Lightning and Thunder’ by Miles East here -