8/10

There's something fitting about the way Cosmic Revelations came together. Sam Bahman didn't set out to make a concept album, but after years of writing, recording and revisiting ideas, the songs began to reveal a common thread: what happens after life changes and you are left to find a way forward without any clear map.

That theme gives Calico Sun’s debut album a strong emotional centre, even as the music stretches outward into psychedelic, progressive and indie-rock. Across seven tracks, he balances melodic songwriting with long instrumental passages, dreamy textures and moments that feel deliberately less controlled.

Recorded primarily at Bahman’s home studio, The Chalet, the album carries the intimacy of a solo project while still sounding ambitious in scale. He handles lead vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesisers and theremin, with Rob Megna on drums and a small group of guest vocalists adding contrast throughout the record. That hands-on approach gives 'Cosmic Revelations' a cohesive identity, even when the songs drift into very different spaces.

‘Fields’ introduces the album with a sense of openness, establishing the connection between landscape, memory and reflection that appears repeatedly across the record. ‘Juniper’, featuring Kate MacAulay, adds another layer of warmth, while ‘Nebula’ pushes the album further into its more cosmic side. Kyle Fox’s guest vocal helps widen the track’s atmosphere, giving the record one of its clearest moments of escape.

‘Moons of Valeria’ leans further into progressive territory, while ‘Lazy Summer Haze’ lives up to its title with a more relaxed, suspended mood. It's here that Calico Sun’s interest in vintage psychedelia feels most natural, drawing on the spaciousness of Pink Floyd and the dreamlike colour of modern psych-pop without becoming overly indebted to either.

But it's the title-track that acts as the album’s most direct statement of intent. ‘Cosmic Revelations’ brings together the record’s interest in movement, self-discovery and uncertainty, allowing instrumental passages to do as much emotional work as the lyrics. It's here that he understands that sometimes a guitar line or shift in texture can communicate transformation more effectively than a direct explanation ever could.

Closing track ‘Waiting’, with guest vocals from Aparna Lakshmi, gives the album a suitably reflective ending. Rather than presenting change as something fully resolved, it leaves us with the sense that adjustment is still happening. And that ambiguity suits a record built around entering new phases of life without certainty.

In all, 'Cosmic Revelations' is an assured first full-length release from an artist who has spent years developing his own creative language. And while it doesn't offer answers to the changes it describes, it does create a place to sit with them.