skymender by skymender

washington, d.c.’s skymender returns with a four-song stunner, recorded in early 2025 at baltimore’s magpie cage with producer j. robbins (jawbox, government issue, burning airlines). building on the shoegaze-adjacent alchemy of their acclaimed debut *if and only*, this ep sharpens their celestial chaos into a tighter, bolder exploration of noise and melody. dual vocalists ashley scurto and kenny grose remain the band’s beating heart, their voices entwining like twin comets—ethereal yet urgent—while guitarist james banta, bassist zahin huq, and drummer s. dwayne bruner (cross my heart, government issue) carve landscapes where beauty and dissonance collide.

opener “u.s.s.r.” drapes listeners in a warm blanket of ’90s uk-inspired textures, volleying vocals cresting over string-bending guitars before bruner’s thunderous tempo shift hurls the track into the stratosphere. “blown” follows, a gentle blizzard of glinting harmonics and frost-kissed harmonies, while “billows” spotlights banta’s soft-angular riffs—a taut counterpoint to scurto’s skyward chorus and huq’s hypnotic bassline. closer “liminal” is a warped lullaby, scurto’s vocals veiling snarling distortion in velvet as grose’s tenor bleeds into the haze like watercolor.

jack rabid (big takeover) once dubbed skymender a dreampop “everything bagel,” and this ep reaffirms their recipe: a swirl of lush’s sighing grandeur, mbv’s tectonic shimmer, and d.c. post-hardcore’s nervy soul. but here, the band transcends revivalism, their craftsmanship and chemistry blazing brighter. four songs, no filler—just skymender, louder, lovelier, and laser-focused on the infinite.

Fresh out of Washington, D.C., Skymender's debut album "If and Only" emerges with an immersive sound and a siren's force.

The dual vocals from Ashley Scurto and guitarist Kenny Grose volley into an ethereal haze–sounds which take shape through the efforts of drummer S. Dwayne Bruner (Cross My Heart, Government Issue), guitarist James Banta, and bassist Zahin Huq.