ATP! Album Review: Nick Santino - Big Skies

Nick Santino has certainly come a long way from the electronic beginnings of former band A Rocket To The Moon. After bringing ARTTM to a full-band project with two full-lengths, the band has disbanded and Nick Santino is releasing music under nothing but his name.

Big Skies furthers Santino’s journey into his alternative with a touch of country sound that he really explore on ARTTM’s last album. Santino’s voice really favors this type of music. It’s very smooth, with just the right little touches of something rougher when it needs to be.

Album opener “Bad Taste” and album highlight “Can’t Say I Miss You” stick more towards what we’re used to from Santino, but third track “Gone Like Yesterday” starts showing more of the country side that Santino is starting to delve into. “Can’t Say I Miss You” is one of the best songs on the album, an upbeat goodbye to someone he’s happy to leave.

The middle third, comprised of “Keep On Going,” “Back to Where I’m From,” and “It Is What It Is,” is the most country-influenced music that Santino has ever put out. “It Is What It Is” even has a fiddle solo in the middle of it. The genre seems to work on Santino, though, with pretty female harmonies helping the song stand out.

“Have A Little Faith” is an absolutely gorgeous ballad that starts the last part of the album. It really gives a chance for Santino to showcase the beautiful purity of his voice. “Mood Ring Eyes” is another standout, a gritty rock song that’s different from anything else on the album.

Big Skies definitely has Santinto finding his stride of what he wants the future of his music to be, and it fits his voice well. My only complaint is that with all of the midtempo songs, some of them start to run together. That aside, the album definitely shows his strengths, and with some fine-tuning, his next one is going to be even better.

4/5

Lauren Jones

Big Skies will be released on May 27th via 8123.