REVIEW: Follow Me Dark – ‘Far From Any Shore’

If you’ve ever craved an album that feels like a full-blown spiritual expedition, Follow Me Dark’s ‘Far From Any Shore’ might just be your next obsession. The Grass Valley quartet have leveled up in every conceivable way on their sophomore effort; weaving cathartic alt-rock, post-rock atmospherics, and touches of mysticism into a cinematic journey that feels both deeply personal and thunderously expansive.

At its core, the album traces the archetypal Hero’s Journey, drawing inspiration from Joseph Campbell’s mythology. You can hear it immediately on ‘Acid Desert’, a song that channels the ragged vulnerability of ‘90s alternative anthems, yet somehow sounds completely present and alive in 2025.

Tracks like ‘Hounds of Heaven’ surge forward with a visceral energy that hints at arena-sized ambitions, while ‘Void Creek’ wrestles between melancholy and hope, proving the band can turn even the darkest moments into something strangely luminous. Meanwhile, the contemplative sway of ‘Daffodils’ offers a breath of fragile calm before the album veers off into more unexpected territories.

On ‘Godhead’, guest artist Karnamrita Dasi’s ethereal vocals float above intricate flamenco guitar flourishes, creating a soundscape that feels otherworldly without ever losing its human pulse. And then there’s ‘Medusa’, a smoky, barroom lament where Kozak and Vanessa Boots volley lines like duelling ghosts in a haunted saloon, a nod to Portishead filtered through a Western fever dream.

The closing title track ‘Far From Any Shore’ ties it all together with cinematic grandeur, echoing the massive, swirling scope of Muse and the emotional gravity of Murder by Death, yet resolutely its own beast. It’s a fitting finale to an album that dares to wander into the deepest caverns of self and emerge battered but luminous.

Recorded in a rustic cabin amid the Sierra Nevada foothills and shunning the usual digital crutches, the album sounds warm, raw, and almost tactile. You can feel the wood walls breathing, the amplifiers humming in the moonlight, delivering a living, breathing testament to analogue spirit in a digital age.

With ‘Far From Any Shor’e, Follow Me Dark prove that vulnerability and power aren’t opposites, more like twin flames. This is an album meant for late-night drives under endless stars, for losing yourself and finding pieces you didn’t know were missing.