[Local] Noon EP by The Sun Kite

Back in July, I was enamored with The Sun Kite's Morning EP, a project by musician and songwriter, Michael Frommack. As part of a three-release conceptual project, spanning all phases of the day, I couldn't wait to hear what would be in store for Noon and Night. Morning had soft songs, provoking inner-peace, that I couldn't help but to play some mornings, just upon waking. Before dressing in business casual, before the stressful commute, before that first sip of coffee, the four-track EP was short enough to meditate to before the hectic days begun.

Noon and Night were released back in early February, one week apart. In continuing with and playing into the theme, I first streamed Noon during a quiet afternoon where I was working from home. The opening track, Light Motes, immediately feels warmer. The lyrics evoke picturesque scenes of the light coming from the sun and interacting with those on earth. The motes seem to dance while the trees grow, people sing and children love. It's truly beautiful.

In Pebble, the sun is more antagonistic, beating down upon those on earth. We're introduced to the characters acting, "hard and dry like the pebble". This notion of staying hard and dry, embodying the spirit of a rock, becomes necessary. It's not just the sun who is causing problems. The moon appears next and takes an indirect approach with scorn: he is reflective, hard, cold and contemplative. While generally hidden behind the "gatekeeper" clouds, the stars shine and taunt. Despite these threats, the celestial beings do not successfully crack or deteriorate the characters into rubble.

The Flora & Fauna are bigger than the credit they're given. At the end of the day, they're part of "a bigger picture, a bigger setting, a bigger story, a longer telling of our lives and our thriving". In the same vein, "we're all just mirrors, reflections of a greater light". I'm construing these thoughts to mean the flora and the fauna grow and ever persist, while we're just the end creations of a higher being. Like the previous two tracks on this EP, the attention is drawn to the nature and the universe.

By the end of the EP, I can't figure out if the world Frommack has presented is a reflection of the past or a window to the future. In this modern day and age, these observations and appreciations of nature and life simply do not exist. I can imagine the past, with no technology, more community and less structure. However, if society had to rebuild in the future, Noon would be predictive of some of the challenges and interactions nature would pose to humanity.

Frommack continues to astound me with his lyrics and unique take on quiet folk. I am looking forward to critically listening to Night and discovering its subtleties and metaphors. You can listen to and purchase Noon on bandcamp.