Reviews
Copper Ceiling
By Priya Sundaram · Issue 42
A second record that trades the debut's digital sheen for tape hiss, room tone and songs that sound like they have been lived in.
Between records, Larkhouse moved into a rehearsal room above a carpet shop and taught themselves to play against the noise. Copper Ceiling is the sound of that education: drums pushed hard, guitars left ringing, vocals recorded in one take because the neighbors complained.
The result is a record that breathes. "Tin Roof Prayer" clatters to life and stays airborne for three minutes of unbroken momentum. Closer "Unfinished Rooms" slows everything to a crawl and lets singer Ada Merrick's voice carry the whole weight of the building.
It is a rougher, braver album than the debut, and all the better for it. The ceiling is copper; the band are finally underneath it together.