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I BUILT THE SKY
& JAKE HOWSAM LOWE’s
track by track review
of their new EP
‘COALESCE’

(8th September 2021)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Track by Track review
ROHAN STEVENSON
I BUILT THE SKY

Coalesce
Was our first track that we worked on together, for this one I brought a few ideas along that I had created and organised in a certain way. Straight away Jake had the idea to change the structure of my ideas which completely changed the vibe to what it is now. It’s really interesting to have someone like Jake listen to ideas and re-organise and develop them in a different way, its eye opening to see another perspective and the end result was one of my favourites from the EP.

Mirage
Started with Jakes banger riff that kicks off the song, learning this one was a challenge to really nail for the recording. I love the ambience in the verses and the overall mood of the track. Jakes lead work is really cool throughout especially love what he plays towards the end of the track. Another fun moment is the 2nd chorus where I added a riff and Jake manipulated the phrasing of the drums which made such a fun vibe and keeps the track moving.

Stonewalker
Another track that starts with some of Jakes sick riffs he had kept for such an occasion. Really love Jakes lead work again, especially his tapping melody and towards the end of the song. I remember having a lot of fun in the riff before the second chorus in which we wrote together and remember a particular tapping phrase which tested me greatly. Really love the moments in the track that feature Toby and Nathan who are both incredible musicians doing amazing things in their own projects (Intervals and The Omnific) the last 2 sections feature some of my favourite moments from the EP.

Ataraxia
This track still blows my mind, it’s really special to be involved in this one even though I contributed a small amount to it. The beginnings of this track came from a chord progression and melody I made that Jake develop further, I remember hearing updates while I was away recording for another project and thinking “DAYUM this is sounding amazing”. The Icing on the cake for this track was having Jake Wilson arranging the instrumentation and making everything in the right place pushing and pulling where it needed to. It was a bit of a challenge to tie in with our last song but after experimenting with some guitar at the end I feel it worked quite well.

Ascendant
Is the final track of the EP and starts with a riff I made which is probably one of my favourite riffs that I’ve created. I really enjoy the vibe and journey of the song in general with lots of twist and turn along the way. The track also features an insane solo from Andre Nieri which me and Jake both loved as soon as we heard it. Had the most fun recording the final section of the track and I think it shows by how it turned out. 

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Track by Track review
JAKE HOWSAM LOWE

Jake Howsam Lowe

Coalesce
Coalesce was the first track that came together for the EP, Ro had a bunch of riffs lying around and as soon as I heard them I knew we could form them into a really cool, cohesive song. I really love the contrast of our solos and the punchy simplicity of the main riff.

Mirage
This track spawned from the main riff which I had been sitting on for a few years waiting for the right time to use it. When we decided to collab I knew it’d be a nice twist on Ro’s usual style and had to bring it forward. The epic thematic melody really gives this song its character and the breakdown in the middle is one of my favourite moments of the EP.

Stonewalker
This track is one of the harder songs to play on the EP with the chorus tapping section being a real challenge. I was excited to find a spot in the middle where we were able to give the bass player Toby Peterson-Stewart (The Omnific) a bit of a spotlight because he’s a phenomenal player. It was also nice to have a break in this section as the rest of the song is an absolute workout.

Ataraxia
Ro had a beautiful piano part written in isolation and asked if we could turn it into something. I went into my cave for hibernation and 10 hours later came out with a poorly arranged classical piece. Luckily my good friend Jake Willson is an extremely gifted classical composer (and remarkable guitarist). He helped rearrange my shoddy work and it turned into something really special.

Ascendant
Ascendant starts with one of my favourite riffs Ro has ever written. The song is packed full of awesome riffs and really gives the drummer Nathan Bulla (intervals/auras) a chance to cut loose. Overall I think this is the heaviest song on the EP and the ultra heavy outro is a nice way to finish it off!

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Follow I BUILT THE SKY
Website – Facebook – Instagram – YouTube

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Follow JAKE HOWSAM LOWE
Website – Facebook – Instagram – YouTube

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AMNPLIFY – DB

Press Release 6th August 2021 (below)

I BUILT THE SKY &
JAKE HOWSAM LOWE
release their collaboritive EP
‘Coalesce”
on 17th September

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Australia’s I Built The Sky and Jake Howsam Lowe (The Helix Nebula/Plini) have teamed up to release a collaborative new EP, titled ‘Coalesce’, which also features members of Intervals, The Omnific and the Virgil Donati band. The EP features 5 tracks with the usual mind-bending riffs & solos, masterful song writing and some exhilarating surprises along the way.

January/February of 2020 was a great time for both IBTS and Jake, with what seemed to be an EPIC year to follow. IBTS was on tour supporting Monuments & Heart of A Coward in EU/UK, and Jake was playing for Plini, supporting Periphery in North America. They both made it back home – and then everything shut down. After taking some time to process the situation, the two decided to turn a truly shitty situation into an opportunity, and thus began the creation of the ‘Coalesce’ EP.

The EP is elegantly crafted with each track harnessing its own musical journey, featuring big orchestral arrangements, synths, punishing drums, sick riffs and insane shredding, all of which conducted with truly purposeful and majestic execution.

The duo recruited Nathan Bulla (Intervals) on drums and Toby Peterson-Stewart (The Omnific) on Bass and with Adam Bentley (Arch Echo) to mix and Dan McNally to Master, no short cuts were taken to produce a massive sound full of world class musicianship. The EP also features an insane guest solo from virtuoso Andre Nieri (Virgil Donati) on the track ‘Ascendant’. ‘Coalesce’ captures the excitement and finesse of progressive instrumental guitar bangers, and then some.

“Getting to finally collaborate on a full release with Ro was awesome and I think our writing styles complemented each other perfectly to make the whole process a breeze. The second track “Mirage” is a personal favourite but it’s hard to choose just one!” – Jake Howsam Lowe

“I’ve always admired Jake’s talents ever since coming across his music and to finally lock in some time together to work on an EP was nothing but a pleasure. Jake and my chemistry was obvious in the writing sessions and the end results I am truly proud of. My favourite track is ‘Ascendant’ with a big soft spot for ‘Ataraxia’ which turned out beautifully.” – Rohan Stevenson

The 5 track EP is set for independent release on September 17th 2021 with the first single & music video for ‘Coalesce’ and Pre-Orders available now.

Key Dates:

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AMNPLIFY – DB