Poetry works in mysterious and wonderful ways. Not only in the literary context, but in life in general. Its infinite possibilities not only forge unique approaches to art, but also touch the soul in many different ways, thanks to how we live our lives poetically, and above all, how artists reveal them. Dan English, the composer originally from Iowa and recognised for blending the confessional with the otherworldly, unveiled his second full-length release, Sky Record and it’s poetic. Meanwhile his earlier album Fruit Boy (2018) and EP In Grace (2020) revealed an emerging talent for balancing tenderness with unease.
With Sky Record, that sensibility evolves into an expansive chamber-folk terrain: equal parts orchestral indie grandeur and stripped-down acoustic intimacy. English has often characterised music as a dialogue between intellect and emotion, and this project manifests that belief fully—simultaneously delicate and vast, sorrowful yet radiant. “I like to wait for a song to occur rather than force it into the world” explains Dan, and this is part of that poetic axis of life in which an artist develops their art by living and following the rhythm of things, in their own way.
Spanning just over forty minutes across thirteen compositions, Sky Record we experience less as a mere album and more as a carefully shifting climate. Sweeping layers of strings, brass, woodwind instruments, and guitars create soundscapes that oscillate between majesty and fragility. Longtime collaborators — including his cousin Melody English — contribute to a sonic environment where the sacred and the ordinary bleed into one another. Tracks such as Serenity, Borrow, and On a String have already gained attention for their striking emotional directness, while Need distinguishes itself through the incorporation of Anne Carson’s poetry, grounding the record’s dreamlike textures with incisive literary resonance.
Early listeners and critics alike have described Sky Record as English’s most definitive artistic statement to date: a meditation on duality in which yearning and endurance coexist. Sweeping in cinematic ambition yet intimate in personal reflection, the album evokes the hidden rhythms of his Midwestern upbringing while showcasing the layered craftsmanship he cultivated in New York. Through its orchestral flourishes, vulnerable storytelling, and collaborative depth, Sky Record affirms Dan English as one of the most ambitious and lyrically attuned voices within contemporary indie folk.
In this conversation we talk about the moment these songs sparked to life with insight into some of the standout ones, his creative universe, from Blade Runner to Ryuichi Sakamoto, his shifting relationship with the guitar and scoring for the animated series Titanium Daydream.
You recently shared that some of the songs on this album were made in 2019, some even in 2014, and that you first thought of the title of this album, Sky Record, in 2016. How do you feel now that the album is out and you're sharing all this work with the world?
Hi good morning, I feel fabulous and very, very proud and lucky that the music is out there finding its way to people.
Wedding Song is such a beautiful and delicate piece. The version with the orchestra and choir enhances its sensitivity. What is the story behind this song?
That I admit, is top secret. I will say though that I recently somehow found myself playing it during Sunday church mass in my hometown, only after did I realise it was the church where my parents were wed.
In your official bio we can read: “grew up chasing invisible things: codes in books, echoes in films, half sentences in songs”. I wonder what cultural elements have helped you shape the universe of references that kept you company while making the record, and how some of them influenced you.
Zelda, Blade Runner, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Hounds of Love and Sensual World, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kubrick/Spielberg’s A.I., Harold Budd, Terrence Malick. I don’t like to dig too much into what moves me but there’s a thread in there I think if you follow it closely.
“Forty final cracks across my jaw”. An image so powerful that it was one of the first things we heard you sing for the album, the first single and opener Across My Jaw. Did sleep become a thing or a problem before you started releasing all these new songs? And also, what made you decide to release this song as an introduction to the album?
I’ve developed insomnia since putting out the record. It’s the song that first helped understand my work — a mission statement, so it felt like the appropriate introduction to the universe.
In Serenity you sing the verses whispering, inducing the effect the title refers to. It sounds fantastic and the instruments blend together to guide your voice in such a brilliant production. How did this song come about?
This is the last song I made for Sky Record, it was 2020, I’m not 100% sure what it’s about but I was watching a man be wheeled out of his house on a gurney into an ambulance when I wrote the guitar part. I like to wait for a song to occur rather than force it into the world, this one’s a prime example of that. One minute you’re empty handed and the next, you find yourself with a fully fleshed out piece. I’m grateful to work this way.
The vocals include the voices of Martha Skye Murphy, Liam Benzvi, and Aerial East. What a line up! You seem to be surrounded by a wonderful musical family, and a lot of you collaborate and work with each other often. How important is this sort of family for you?
My community means a lot to me. We’re all drawn together by this curse and blessing of song. We all struggle and do our best, but the burden is lessened when it shared. I used to want to do everything myself but now I’ve learned that sharing makes things that much more powerful.
Violins and strings play a huge part in the album sonic structure. Borrow, Near to Wild Heart or On a String standout. I know you learnt to play guitar at ten years old, but I wonder how you approached each song to find what instrumentation would suit them better; it sounds quite a complex but also very fun process.
100% it is always a game of exploration. I don’t find myself the brightest or most thoughtful guy, are you familiar with the concept of dowsing or divination? I feel my approach to life is similar to my composition: to move toward your goals with intuition, to leave logic and planning at the door and find something you couldn’t have set out to get in the first place.
But if there is an instrument that stands out throughout the album is definitely the guitar, in all its forms and sounds, and it makes sense. You’re also the guitarist for Porches lives shows. What is your relationship with your guitars as they’ve been a part of your life since you were very young.
What’s funny is that most of the songs on Sky Record were inspired by my departure from guitar around 2015 or 2016, I started playing piano mainly. I was obsessed deeply, deeply with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Harold Budd and sweet Vangelis. Wow all of them have died since that time. RIP to the goats. I don’t feel particularly towards guitar, it’s just a medium with which to communicate energy – I’ve played for twenty-three years and still think I’m shit but you gotta work with the skills you have. Digressing, I had sorta given up on guitar until I picked it up to try a solo for Across My Jaw. I swear to God, I think what’s on the record is first or second take. I listened back and thought ok maybe these six strings ain’t so bad.
There is a gorgeous jazz feeling to Fairie Miniature; very cool synths and speedy percussion in Cigarette at Window; a country vibe at the intro in Need. It all seems to be enclosed in your unique style; even if we think of references there is something quite particular the moment your voice and lyrics come in. Did you find difficult to align the sounds with the songs?
Hmm, I don’t think so. While some of the songs took longer to gestate, I find it natural to arrive at the right choices for sounds. Could they have been better or smarter? Sure, but they work for me. It was fun to arrange the songs on my lonesome and then replace digital sounds with human players and or acoustic instruments. It lent itself to a loose concept of the record which is that of an Android or synthetic being capable of experiencing human emotions (ie: love) but in aging or dying losing access to it as its hardware or software fails.
Were any of the songs for this album more difficult to finish, or in other words, have they gone through different sonic stages? And did you leave out any you’d like to release in the future?
Need took a long time. That one I tried attacking from many angles while it wouldn’t reveal itself to me. I may have made little cracks in the armour over the years but I found that the more I left it alone, the closer I got to the answers. We have a lot cooking for next year.
Clare McCarthy is the artist responsible for the fabulous artwork for the singles and the album. There are epic scenes with castles and gothic sculptures, and knights. How did both of you work the visual part of Sky Record.
Finding Clare was a Godsend. My good friend Sydney linked us, and it was an instantaneous connection. We share a lot in common — a love for Frank Frazetta, old sci-fi and horror, cats. I’m really excited to continue developing this universe with her.
There is another collaborator I wanted to ask you about. Your dad plays the harmonica in Near to the Wild Heart. This fact makes the song even more special. Is your family musical? Did music play a big part while you were growing up in your family?
I wouldn’t say my family is musical, nobody besides Melody and I pursued this seriously. However, I would say music plays an enormous role in every English’s life. “Music, the great communicator” helps people make sense of themselves and the world around them. Music found me through the radio, the first song I remember hearing is Sex and Candy so I must have been five. I found the escape liberating and exhilarating. There’s a lot to say but I’ll leave it at the fact that it’s been a nonstop fixation since then.
I saw on your Instagram that you have composed some music for Titanium Daydream, a serialised animated web series. I wonder how is making music for a different project that is not your main one, and if you are currently involved in other projects you can tell us about.
Working on projects like Titanium Daydream is a treat. It’s a show created by two of my closest friends Ben Crouse and Jacob Sluka. There’s an animation for Sky Record Song made by Jacob I can’t wait to share. I’d love to score films and video games down the road. Perhaps your readers are all film directors and to them I bid greetings.
Besides the album release show that you played in August, you will be playing live all along the US and Canada in 2026. Do you already have in mind the idea of the show you want to put together?
I’m hoping to tour my ass off for the rest of my days. I love it so much. Playing music with my friends to people who wanna hear it is truly my dreams come true.
Finally, any wish for the future?
I’d like to move back home to Iowa and open a studio or start a label. And I’d like to be the best version of myself so as to be most capable to help others as much as possible.
