The Sound of Ships Fly Up: What Genre Is It?

— How would you describe the genre of Ships Fly Up?

— That’s not an easy question, but we can try to figure it out. Although SFU is most often labelled as post‑rock, it’s not quite that simple. This project combines different genres and styles. There isn’t actually that much “classic” post‑rock in it, though it’s certainly present. There’s a fair amount of synthwave/retrowave — at least according to my own understanding. In the Ghost Kingdom album, you can hear elements of doom metal and even black metal, but still, the “classic” SFU sound is something less heavy and more inspiring.

Each listener finds something of their own. I’ve seen messages from people who believe the dark Ghost Kingdom is the best — although for some, the dreamy Journey to Ranucan remains a favourite, which is also very nice to hear. SFU also has touches of alternative rock, and some tracks could be described as cinematic post‑rock.

Personally, for simplicity’s sake, I often just stick to calling it post‑rock — but naturally, with the above‑mentioned caveats. Ultimately, we could adopt the general description used by the band Maybeshewill: “instrumental rock with a blend of electronic music”.