“Please, sir, can I have some more?” That’s how I felt after hearing Giantsky III, which released on October 2nd. And Giantsky obliged. On October 16th, they released The Further We Go The Deeper It Gets. And like the golden nostalgia of the many endings to The Return of the King, I just didn’t want it to end.
Giantsky, as noted in my review a few weeks ago, is a solo project from Erlend Viken of the band Soup. This dual release is the final music from Giantsky we’ll get, as far as I can tell. Cherish it. The lineup here is Erelend on vocals, percussion, guitars, bass, keys, xylophone, tubular bells, and banjo (he’s a regular Mike Oldfield!), plus Andreas Kjøl Berg on percussion, Tuva Halse on vocals and violin, Mona Hynne on vocals, Jonas Viken on violin, Øystein Megård on bass, and Astrid Hoffman-Tollaas on cello.
This album is, by nature, the dessert course. Giantsky III was the main course, the delicious meal, and TFWGTDIG is the surprise treat, the elegant icing on the cake. The music is similar but doesn’t retread ground. I’d say this 30-minute record is more concise, contains fewer crescendos and climactic moments, and instead chooses to breathe, to linger in emotional space, to focus on graceful movements and gorgeous atmospheres.
Yes, much of it feels more ambient. I don’t mean ambient as in the genre itself; instead I mean hovering, quieted, pensive compositions. From the very start, we get “Dancing Alone”, an absolutely beautiful piece that feels wistful and even sad. It pulls at the heartstrings with violins and gentle guitars. And it is immensely impactful.
And much of the album plays that way. It blends subtle electronica with classical melodies, cosmic keys, and wandering emotions. It’s like existing in this space, content just to be. Now, some of the tracks have more energy, such as “Repeating Trope”, which hits the ground running with a sassy groove, excellent drumming, and spacey vibes. I absolutely adore this piece and how it grooves into electronic tones then into cinematic, harmonious, almost celestial spaces. It is astonishingly beautiful.
Yet, I won’t say the energetic portions are my favorites, as good as they are, simply because of how innately emotional and majestic the whole album is. “Step Into the Garden” is a great example with its universalistic vibes, “out there” lyrics, and cautious melodies. I could exist within it forever. I love how it leads into “Compassion With Worms”, an acoustic ballad for the most part with an exquisite classical outro. It feels so close, so human, leaving behind the spacey tone for a moment of honesty.
“Whose Life Am I Leading” comes next, and it’s like a pause and consider moment. In fact, the whole album feels that way, like asking yourself questions and coming to realizations on your own. This song asks tough questions and lingers on leering, distant colors. It turns your mind to dreams and starry visions. It helps find the compassion, the relationship, the understanding. Now, Erlend loves anticipation and a good build-up, and that’s exactly what “Ruin the Sunset” is. Hints of melodies, bits of stringed portions, and ambient haze fill our hearts, readying us for the end.
That end is “Throw It Off The Bridge”, the longest track on the album. It feels incredibly authentic, incredibly close to home, almost like the lyricist is being honest with himself for the first time in forever. I get goosebumps at the gentle electronic spirals, the careful strings, the honest piano, the grand transition into climactic vocals. And I love how it closes with lingering melodies and warmth. It’s the end to a journey of self-discovery, acceptance, and renewal, and it makes you feel that way, too.
Giantsky III is a monster album, and The Further We Go The Deeper It Gets is the perfect dessert portion. It continues the emotions, furthers the melodies and themes, focuses more on the exquisite nature of the instruments. And somehow, it just feels right. It feels necessary. It reveals more, offers insight, sets off a blazing sun within our minds. And the colors and emotions that run like a golden river into our soul, it bids we navigate them.
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