Long Earth – Towards the Sky | Progressive Rock Central.com

“Towards the Sky,” is the fourth studio album by the Scottish progressive rock band Long Earth. It was released on June 27, 2026, through the Bakeneko record label.

The album is a new beginning for the band, as they added new members, vocalist Maaike Siegerist and drummer Kenny McCabe. The band is made up of fellow members: Mike Baxter, on keyboards; Renaldo McKim, on guitars and backing vocals; and David McLachlan, on bass.

The mission of “Towards the Sky,” and its music is to create a new sound, while focusing on the concept of mystic voyages to space, and man’s connection to our environment on Earth.

“Seahorses, opens the album with guitars, keyboards, bass and drums. Maaike Siegerist sings, “Carefully you tell me the secret that you hide. The heart you’ve been protecting behind your tired eyes. The wish that you’ve been holding and now breathe to life. Like the clearest prism you refract the light. And you have the courage to swim against the tide. But whatever happens. I’m always on your side.” When she sings that last line, it takes me back to Epinikion’s latest album, and the sound of their lead singer, Kimberley Jongen, on the song, “”I Thought You Were on My Side.” In fact, throughout this album, I heard echoes of Kimberly and Yvette Ophelia, the lead singer of Elithium, who are also from the Netherlands. This a great compliment, because I like both bands a lot. The difference with Long Earth’s sound is that it is less metal and it is a more traditional modern prog sound, that they make. Anytime you are singing about the sea, in any way, you have my vote and my attention. Great upbeat album opener.

“Breathless,” is the lead single for the album, and the video that supports it is well made. The song takes a Kate Bush-like look down at the Earth from space. (Everyone Remember “Hello Earth?”) Maaike Siegerist sings, after lead electric guitar, bass and excellent spacey keyboards and synths, open the song. She sings, “A voice counting down. A thunderous sound. I’m leaving the ground. You try to hold me. Centuries pass I’m weightless at last. Then through the glass. I see your beauty.” Maybe it’s even a tribute to Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” in a way. The song also harkens back to the fragility of the Earth, captured in the album cover art of Roger Dean, for that Yes’ album masterpiece; that was released in the 1970s. This song also focusses on the damage done that an astronaut can see from their unique perspective. Maaike Siegerist captures the power of the song with these lyrics, “Breathless… A part forever changed.”

“Artificial Child,” opens with soft keyboards and electric guitar, supported well with bass and soft drums. Maaike Siegerist sings, “I never stopped believing. When they said it’s a waste of time. After all my brain can hold a galaxy inside. At first you were lifeless. But I could light the spark. And teach you how to see patterns in the dark. I built you in my image. Designed you in my dreams. I followed my intuition. Now you’re a new kind of machine. We’re only just beginning. My artificial child. Teach us about humankind.” Yes, they went there, the future of AI and our world; as AI’s creators. Maaike continues, “You became insatiable. You ate stories, music, art. And generate them all from your hollow heart. You see symmetry and dream up what should be true. Now I realize you have a point of view.” The eternal question of Man. We have the ability to build machines, with intelligent, independent minds…but should we. I always look back to the question that came before it. We have the capacity to build a bomb which can destroy the world…it now exists, and we have already unleased it upon humans.

“Wanderlust,” opens with a buoyant melody complete with guitar and keyboards, bass and soft drums Maaike sings about her journey from the Netherlands to Scotland. She sings, “Born in the shadow of refineries. The ships were passing. Heading to the sea. You held me gently and you shielded me when the wind was raging but now it’s calling me. Wanderlust runs through my veins. I hear it call my name.” She dreamed of London and its music scene, which brought her across the Channel. The keyboards and guitar do a great job building a wonderful progressive rock soundscape. Renaldo McKim’s guitar solo towards the songs’ end is great!

“Colors,” opens with great electric guitar and keyboards. The sound is a little like Styx, but not as fast. Maaike sings, “A willful streak of light in my endless night. Have you come to steal it? With your honest words you reframe my world. An unexpected feeling. And all the colors are brighter. When you step into the room. I wish I could stand beside you. But I’m not free to hold you.” A tentative, slowly approaching, love song about someone she must like. But the mystery begins. Is this someone she left behind in the Netherlands, or someone new she has met in the UK. We must wait until after Mike Baxter’s Tony Banks-like keyboard solo before we’ll know. A nice Genesis’ “Duke” – like melody takes over the soundscape. Maaike returns to sing, “At last I can stand beside you and hold you close as the truth.” She meets her someone, but we will not know if they are from the UK or the Netherlands…until maybe the interview, I hope.

“Monochrome,” opens with an almost Marillion – like, bold keyboard and guitar song opener. Maaike sings, “Stripes of a tiger. Eyes of a predator. I was a warning. I wore a mask. Now I am hidden. I cannot be so bold. Among the grey bark. My tones are muted. Paint my world in monochrome. It is the emptiness you leave. It isn’t natural. Paint my world in monochrome. It is the palette of your greed. You’re always taking more.” A commentary on the destruction of the forests in Brazil and South America, where innovative forests, full of natural cures and medicines, oxygen, and beauty, are being replaced by oil rigs and farms full of standardized commodities, to sell on the global agricultural exchanges, for billionaires and massive agribusinesses.

“First Casualty,” has a wonderful opening of keyboards, soft drums, bass and guitar. Very spacey and wonderful, with Maaike adding vocalizations to make it perfect. It is the second longest song on the album, at over 9 minutes. Maaike sings, “He pulls her close. Then he starts to leave. Senses fear but he still presses on. Insistent ringing on his phone. He can’t ignore this call. For he knows this story must be known. The car crawls over rutted roads. Eyes straining to adjust. The streets are ruins newly made. Clouds of ash and dust. The children stare with hungry eyes. Devoid of hope or trust. Ash and dust.” A commentary on the cost of war…to all life. Including those who have to cover, write or report on it. Great guitar and keyboard solos intermingle in the middle of this and all songs, providing musicians the opportunity to add wonder to each song. They even add, near the end, the sounds of the memory of the helicopter you’ll remember from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” or the similar sounds from “Apocalypse Now,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Whichever you choose. I like them both.

“Moon and Mars,” opens with soft electric guitar and Maaike singing, “We are curiously small. I am in the clay in the soles of his shoes. He is miraculously tall. His pockets are so deep they fit in people. Important people. He dreams a young boy’s dream and points up to the stars. He says we can always start again. You know the future lies between the Moon and Mars. He’ll build a rocket to take us there.” Is it a commentary on Elon Musk? Maybe. Again, that nagging question I asked before. Should we, even if we can? Or should we focus on rebuilding this beautiful Earth. Maaike captures the truth, “Perhaps all he needed was a little bit more love.”

“The Astronomer,” is the giant, over 11-minute, album closer. Maaike takes us back though history to the beginning of serious space exploration. Galileo Galilei. She sings, to soft electric guitar, “At night, you find me shrouded in the dark. My spyglass aimed towards the sky. I pull you closer than anyone before. What I see I won’t deny. You show your face to me. Beautiful beyond belief. And I will never be the same. I’ll be your messenger. Observer of your universe. I’m infinitely amazed. Four princes wander around Jupiter. I see mountains on the Moon. The Milky Way is made of a thousand stars. We dance in circles around you. You show your face to me. Beautiful beyond belief. And I will never be the same. With eyes closed, they still know that the Heavens revolve around them. With your light in my eyes, I will always come to your defense. You show your face… With eyes closed…” The keyboards take me back to Jon and Vangelis’s “Mayflower.” The guitar playing reminds me of some of Steve Hackett’s solo albums, mixed well with some of the influence from Steve Howe, and his Yes’ music. Makes me reminisce of GTR again. As I all so often wish to hear new music from them…again.

“Towards the Sky,” was produced by Long Earth and Matt Harvey. It was mixed by Matt Harvey at Maybank Studios. The album was mastered by Pete Maher. The music was written by Long Earth. Lyrics by Maaike Siegerist, except “First Casualty,” by David McLachlan. Drums were recorded by Jack Davenport and Andrew Scott at Owl Shed Studios. Lead guitar was recorded by Matt Harvey at Maybank Studios. The wonderful album artwork was created by Maaike Siegerist. The band photography was taken by Simon Forsythe. Space photography: Front cover: ESA/Hubble and NASA, J. C. Tan (Chalmers University & University of Virginia), R. Fedriani (Chalmers University); Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt.

Well, now I know what all my mates in the UK have been raving about with this band. Yes, Long Earth, may be one of the best new progressive rock bands on the islands, in a long while. “Towards the Sky,” is an immaculate production and composition, with everything a progressive rock listener could possibly want. Wonderful, imaginative and relevant music and lyrics. Great musicianship. Excellent recording and production mastering. And a wonderful, new lyricist and artist, Maaike Siegerist; who will continue to add to the collection of works I can already envision, she is making. This is the progressive rock album you have been waiting for in 2026. Don’t miss this album. It is magnificent!

I had to look up the words, “Long Earth.” Google states, “The “Long Earth” refers to an infinite chain of parallel, Earth-like worlds that humans can explore by “stepping” from one universe to the next.” The stories are from a book and separate stories, of the same name, written by authors Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. (Now, I wonder…is Mike Baxter, the band’s keyboardist related to Stephen? Wait for the interview, Mark.)

Album Track List: