Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds 'Council Skies': a delicate and well-executed next step into the project

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are back with their fourth studio album titled ‘Council Skies’. The album is a nod to the sound which has made them familiar in the past decade or so, and will likely continue to do so for several more years to come.

‘Council Skies’ is  the band’s first album in six years- meaning it's the first new NGHFB’s music since the pre-pandemic days. A six year gap, even for a man of Gallagher’s musical nuance, could have had a lasting effect. Yet this album is evidence that his post-Oasis project is continuing to move up through the gears. 

The album opens up with ‘I’m Not Giving Up Tonight’ which begins with the smallest tones of country. It sparks thoughts of a lone man riding a horse through a dusty desert, this man being Gallagher, as he makes his way to somewhere he wants to be. 

The smooth beat and always tangible tones of Gallagher step up into a chorus which swiftly picks up the pace. This track, like many on this album, keep Gallagher’s originality close at hand. The song’s outro is one of serenity, bringing to an end the starting effort on the record. 

‘Open The Door, See What You Find’ feels very much like the type of song we’ve come to associate with NGHFB. The long and protracted chorus has strong undertones of ‘In The Heat Of The Moment’ from the band’s 2015 album ‘Chasing Yesterday’. 

The track anchors the album well and through a series of songs with a fresh sound, it will give long-term fans of NGHFB reward and a sense of familiarity. This, at a time when many genres and musicians are changing their sound, is more important than many of us may realise. 

Personally, ‘Easy Now’ is the track which most resembles an Oasis track. It has a powerful and attention grabbing beat which compliments Gallagher’s voice well, all this is topped off with a typically Oasis-esque chorus. The sound of this track filling an arena or stadium when the band heads out on tour will be a moment to look forward to. 

 The title track of the album, which was released as a single some weeks ago, is upbeat and all of the momentum is kept going with ‘There She Blows’. The rough guitar work takes the listener on a journey, but it is one which Gallagher keeps vague and suspicious with the utterance of “where we’re going no-one knows.”

'Council Skies will be released in full on Friday June 3 and you'll be able to listen in on whichever streaming service you use. The band has today (May 31) released a new track from the album 'Open The Door, See What You Find.' which you can listen to through the band's website.