Night Sky is the second release from Sydney based pianist and composer Sophie Hutchings. Sophie’s debut Becalmed made waves around the globe with MOJO Magazine describing it as ‘stirring, vigorous and grandly melodic’. It went on to be listed in MOJO’s top five independent releases for 2010 and saw her placed along side such neo-classical luminaries as Peter Broderick, Dustin O’Halloran and Nils Frahm. But where Becalmed evoked the oceanic, Night Sky places itself strictly in the nocturnal world. As open as it is rarefied, Night Sky is enveloped by a dream-like lushness only enhanced by the subtle addition of new aural flavours such as woodwinds, wordless vocals, harmonium, percussion and strings. Again working alongside acclaimed engineer Tim Whitten (known for his work with The Necks), Night Sky bares witness to Hutchings’ blossoming talent with an extra sense of sophistication and intricacy. An esoteric, haunted and ultimately beautiful album.

It’s almost impossibly beautiful. Eight pieces of instrumental piano music with limited extra support – violin, cello, accordion, singing saw – that never pulls focus from her simple, often layered, right-hand melodies. This is deeply nocturnal music – Mess+Noise Andrew P Street

This isn’t music to whack on while you clean the house or drive to the shops: this demands attention and rewards it handsomely. Night Sky is the soundtrack to a film too heartbreakingly beautiful to exist. – The Brag

There are many untold stories on this album. But among the many drawn by Hutchings, the most important one is yours. It is the one that briefly comes up to the surface of your being, awakened only by this music from its prolonged sleep. And when you get a glimpse of that particular emotion, you will know it. You will know it more than ever. And for that we’ll have to be indebted to Sophie Hutchings. – Headphone Commute

Released August, 2012
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1631 Recordings