Gentle, ethereal and haunting, the new studio album from United Bible Studies is the first step in a bold trilogy. Two longer devotional wordless movements have been paired with two shorter lyrical folk songs, which makes for a beautifully rounded and mystical experience. The trio of David Colohan, Alison O'Donnell (The Owl Service) and Dominic Cooper (The Owl Service, The Straw Bear Band) really shines. An ode to the majestic hill which overlooks Belfast. Ltd x 300 copies on heavyweight red vinyl with A6 insert and download code.

 

"And it looms over the riven land... Ye can gaze out across the hills of Divis and Ligoniel, on through Ulster hills, to the Atlantean coast... A land wrenched by giants from the soil... And ye feel the damp cling to yr neck as ye glimpse the limestone quarries, hewn from the mountain... From the Antrim Plateau, mist and moisture, and down below in Connswater, they'll be talkin' of how it's settled in, and won't be liftin'... As ye close yr eyes, held suspended, alone, Eternal. As the clouds rise, and the city falls, and ye gaze East to West, from the Calf of Man to Hy-Brasil. Black-Form to the setting sun. And ye dream as ye loom over the riven land, that ye might come back the way ye came, ye know".