With his second EP, Skydaddy creates an immersive, self-contained space that asserts the importance of taking it easy.

Just under a year on from debut EP ‘Pilot’, Skydaddy is back with another mellifluous set of songs brimming with warmth and psychedelic richness. Skydaddy is the moniker of Rachid Fakhre, formerly of Spang Sisters, and on new EP ‘Anchor Chains, Plane Motors & Train Whistles’ he distils 16 minutes of lush sonic escapism, with typically expansive arrangements anchoring lyrics that exalt the freer side of life.

Epic opener ‘Age of Empires’ establishes the widescreen perspective of the EP with its orchestral intro, before locking into a jangling, driving rhythm, adorned with strings and piano trills. The song is full of subtle surprises, with clever musical turnarounds and canny touches of psych rock evolving the piece as it goes along. Its rousing outro unfurls over staccato strings as Fakhre reinterprets the British psychedelic observations of the mundane for our present, the morning news of ‘A Day in the Life’ now instantly beamed into our minds at the point of waking.

A sensitivity for the impositions of the modern world upon the human body extends across the EP and marks the transition into second song ‘Albert Bridge’. The anonymity of the city, with it’s “granite sky” where “no one knows my name” is treated with ambivalence, ‘Albert Bridge’ serving as a site for contemplation and escape. Said escape is symbolised by jazzy instrumental sections, seamlessly performed by Fakhre’s impressive collection of contributors, among whose ranks are heka and members of Ugly, Tapir!, Black Country, New Road. The track bleeds into ‘Allicin’, which takes us further from our surroundings into an otherworldly space, glittering with arpeggiated acoustic guitar.

It is ‘Mushrooms’ which really anchors the whole collection, proving to be the thematic climax and the standout track from this collection. Where the other tracks take time meandering between ideas (not always unappealingly!), this struts with an assured, confident air. Like ‘Age of Empires’, it is rolled along by the drums, but this track takes on a more conventional song structure, looping around an infectious melodic hook in the chorus. With its ironic turn of phrase, crunched vocal sound and timeless perfectionism, the song suggests the more convincing and original efforts of contemporary West Coast psych groups like Foxygen and White Fence.

The EP closes with a reprise of ‘Age of Empires’, an elegant bookend that also tidily contextualises the EP’s title, a quote from ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ which crystallises George Bailey’s romantic aspirations to see the world. Skydaddy’s music consistently shows off ambitious arrangements that add up to a signature blissed-out mood, that at times approaches the lushness of Nick Drake’s finest moments. There are some rough edges linking up these grand ideas, though even these can be somewhat justified by the case the EP makes for just taking it easy for a little while.