6. July 2025
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Media Review

Skullcrusher – Storm in Summer EP

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Skullcrusher - Storm in Summer

Skullcrusher - Storm in Summer
3.5

Rating

 3.5/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Condensed, minimalist indie folk
  • Beautiful and catching voice

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Very special and narrow style

The EP Storm in Summer by Skullcrusher to me was one of these records you receive over promotion platforms you just listen to because you are curious. I loved the sound of this indie folk project and thus felt to share it with you. The five songs has been released on 9th April 2021.

 

Skullcrusher – About The Artist

Skullcrusher is the indie-folk project by Helen Ballentine. She grew up in Tarrytown in upstate New York, right at Hudson River, before she moved to Los Angeles to graduate at the University of Southern California. In 2019, she decided not to pursue a career in that field any longer and to become professional musician instead. Her self-titled debut EP, which has been released on 24th July 2020, received very good critics. Storm in Summer is the second EP release of Ballentine. The EP has been produced with Noah Weinman, who joined Ballentine instrumentally in all songs.

 

Skullcrusher – Storm in Summer – Track by Track

The five song EP lasts 16 minutes.

1. Windshield

The opener of the album is almost an instrumental one, as the three minute song in fact comes with two lines of lyrics. A very dreamy-style song at the beginning of the album.

2. Song For Nick Drake

This song is a tribute to Nick Drake. The British folk singer-songwriter passed away in 1974 at the age of 26 due to medicine abuse and post-mortem became very popular for his songs. The close to three minute track is very harmonic and tries to define its aura rather with the instruments and the melody. Nice listen.

3. Steps

Lyrics at Skullcrusher songs are compact – and for Steps, there is even just a total duration of 1:51 minutes. Nonetheless, the mixture of her high vocals, the acoustic guitar and the banjo, which becomes more and more present, is definitely a lovely one.

4. Storm in Summer

The title track is the second single release of the EP and the longest track of these five ones. The song almost sounds desperate when she is asking Can I go back? before the bridge is incepting. Nice one.

5. Prefer

I prefer the rain in summer – that’s the whole lyric set of this 3:29 minute song. A reference to the title track, for sure, which again is driven by the instrumentation and the atmosphere around it.

 

Skullcrusher – Storm in Summer – Spotify

Here is the Spotify widget to Storm in Summer:

 

Skullcrusher – Storm in Summer – My View

I feel that Helen Ballentine does beautiful songwriting. Thus, I am very glad to be able to present her in the review here – even though her very own style of music may not be what you would name mainstream folk. Her songs are condensed and feel a bit of minimalistic, but she is creating beautiful feelings and musical metaphors with it.

 

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