Pavey Ark Blends Indie Folk and Orchestral Atmosphere in Their New Album More Time More Speed
- Isabelle Monteiro
- 13 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Those seeking a cinematically introspective listening experience should look no further than Hull-based indie-folk collective Pavey Ark. Five years after their first release, the band returns with More Time More Speed, a beautifully evocative album that explores the concept of time with warmth and subtle ambition. The opening track, ‘Out of Here’, carries listeners into the repose of an early misty morning with its lulled finger-picked guitar introduction. As a cinematic string ensemble enters and ambient vocalisations drift across the arrangement, More Time More Speed unfolds into a rich, atmospheric soundscape that blends indie-folk textures with rich instrumentation and reflective lyricism to create a listening experience that is equally tranquil, warm, and quietly nostalgic.
Released on 21 November, More Time More Speed sees the 14-member ensemble return with a sonically rich exploration of time and emotion. The album’s release comes after several milestones, including: live shows at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival, and SXSW Texas, as well as supporting other indie artists such as Badly Drawn Boy, Billie Marten, and Steven Mason. Recorded in a converted farm building, the album carries a natural stillness, as if shaped by the quiet of open fields away from the city. According to the band, the album is “an exploration of time, and our relationship with it. It's about how our individual and collective experiences seem to stretch, contract and sometimes completely warp our perception of time.” True enough, Pavey Ark renders this theme through an ethereal atmosphere, introspective lyricism and arrangements that ebb and flow like the passage of time, creating an immersive and transcendent listening experience.
Musically, the album blends the best of indie folk with contemporary and orchestral textures, creating a sound that feels both intimate and cinematic. Nowhere is this clearer than on the single ‘Epoch’, where intricate percussions and finger-plucked guitar lines elevate the song’s euphoric yet existential tone, further intensified by bright, exultant violin melodies and a warmly resonant trumpet riff solo. Unfolding as both an apocalyptic and uplifting reflection on humanity’s shifting relationship with time, the song’s title gestures towards our perception of time on a cosmic scale. Meanwhile, the spirited ‘Yesterday Is Done’ blends warm, steady brass with uplifting string harmonies that counterbalance the song’s sorrowful lines, heightening its emotional lift before closing with delicate, angelic vocalisations that reverberate through the soul.
Pavey Ark’s lyrical finesse, evident in ‘The Go Slow’ and ‘Your Sweet Time’, is another underrated strength, using vivid and carefully crafted imagery to situate the listener firmly within the album’s emotional landscape. With vulnerable and intimate vocals that emphasise texture and mood, it can be easy to miss the understated yearning and desperation in lines such as “My head it burns, my heart it yearns to chase the sunset up the northern fells / To take the air from high above, I got my eye hooked on the higher stuff / The city choke so far below, I reach the peak with nowhere else to go, nothing left but hope”. Nevertheless, this subtlety is part of the album’s charm, promising new discoveries and emotional layers with each subsequent listen.
Across the record, soaring melodic lines intertwine with the delicate falsettos of vocalist Neil Thomas, adding emotional clarity to the album’s dreamy haze. The arrangements feel simultaneously suspended and grounded, showcasing the band’s ability to convey both the elation and the grief that accompany the passage of time. If pressed to find shortcomings, one might say the album’s slow pace and deliberate unfolding may feel meandering and disorientating to listeners expecting more conventional structures or immediate hooks. Its beauty, however, is subtle and cumulative — the kind that reveals itself gradually, rewarding listeners who are patient enough to let it emerge. Some tracks are gentle and introspective to a fault, but these moments feel purposeful, contributing to the album’s overarching sense of contemplation.
Ultimately, More Time More Speed is a tender, quietly ambitious reflection on time’s mysteries. Delivered through warm orchestration, cinematic folk textures, and Pavey Ark’s heartfelt craft, the album beautifully encapsulates the fleeting fragments of life, preserved within the strange and elusive nature of time. Its strength lies in its patience and subtlety which allows the listener to experience both the intimacy of personal reflection and the grandeur of shared human experience. From its lyrical and musical nuances to the emotional layers and textures of each song, Pavey Ark create a contemplative space where listeners can dwell, reflect, and feel the weight and wonder of time passing.
Edited By Gia Dei, Co-Music Editor.
