Skin – Skulk (2025) – Album Review
Album: Skin
Artist: Skulk
Release Date: November 13, 2025
Goa-based artist Katyayini Gargi uses her talents to create audio and visual pieces that focus on surreal and alternative pop music. I’m not familiar with whether there is a larger Indie pop/rock scene in Goa, but I’d bet she’s a key artist for the region. I find the name Skulk to be interesting. The definition indicates an artist who likes to reside in the shadows, perhaps with malicious intent. That might be a BIT extreme, the artist is more likely exploring those kinds of emotions that people may have when lurking in the dark, reasons behind the umbral logic.
Initial feeling: A quirky mix of acoustic drums, sample-based sounds, and raw synth sounds takes me back to the mid-late 90s and early 2000s. Using this type of production was exciting because artists who wouldn’t have had access to these types of sounds were starting to create smaller home studios that could allow them to try out ideas without hefty studio fees. What’s especially nice is that Skulk’s vocals are not overly processed, with the removal of cracks, slight pitch changes, breath sounds, etc. This approach works well with that British Indie Pop sound that groups such as Broadcast and Vanishing Twin have, where the polish lies in the songwriting and sound design to fit with the theme, not some technically perfect pop where all the character is smoothed out.
The album is proposed to be two halves, mirrored between side A and side B, telling two tales around the theme of “how not to drown when balancing the self and socio/collective expectations and changes life can throw your way.” I can feel the intimacy that side A leans toward, while side B places you as an observer of the environment around you. The darker and more introspective songs with uncertain/tense structures and melodies are delightful, but the more upbeat songs, I feel, don’t balance the album as well when compared to these darker songs. The intention of the album isn’t to be a “downer/emo” journey, but Skulk seems to be more comfortable in that territory than not.
Skin: Right from the jump, we’re getting hit with tense-sounding, reversed guitars and harder-driven electric piano. Skulk comes in, telling her uncertain tale of balancing her sensitivity and protecting herself from the harms of the world and social platforms. She links her softer elements to her mother and mental toughness to her father, which are common comparisons with an archaic societal structure. It’s a great track, and it makes sense to be the title of the album, as the skin is, at times, the only thing people see in this world, and it is what is first exposed to the harsh elements.
Scratch My Back: This has a 1960s style, a sad melody, and works really well with the slightly monotone vocals. A story of lost loves and sheltering oneself from those risks, but then coming back to grasp them tightly. One of the longer songs on the album, it builds up and breaks into a good, catchy chorus.
Creeper: A nice bubbly synth arpeggio with a funky beat when she likens herself to a creeper vine, clinging to someone or something solid and well anchored. However, as any creeper vine tends to choke what it attaches itself to, it becomes a cautionary tale. Towards the end, we hear a second voice that harmonizes with the chorus, which gives it an eerie feeling.
Overall, the album is fairly solid, and fans of British Indie/Alternative pop music should enjoy it. There are some choices with the vocals and more upbeat songs that might have benefited from some cleanup or editing. However, I wouldn’t want to take away the more raw and natural flow Skulk gets into, especially the darker and sullen melodies, which are her strength. Released under the ONNO Collective, this marks Skulk’s debut album for the label, with Skin as the lead single.
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