Watching the Sky

Watching the Sky
Studio album by Sheppard
Released	8 June 2018 (2018-06-08)
Genre	Indie pop
Length	46:59
Label	Empire of Song
Sheppard chronology
Undercover (2017) Watching the Sky (2018) Kaleidoscope Eyes (2021)
Singles from Watching the Sky
"We Belong" Released: 1 November 2016 "Keep Me Crazy" Released: 10 March 2017 "Edge of the Night" Released: 23 June 2017 "Coming Home" Released: 10 November 2017 "Riding the Wave" Released: 13 April 2018 "Hometown" Released: 1 June 2018 [1]

Watching the Sky is the second studio album by Australian indie pop band Sheppard, released on 8 June 2018. The album was confirmed in January 2018^[2][3] with George Sheppard saying "an album is the true artistic statement, so announcing Watching the Sky is a really exciting step for us."^[4]

The album was supported by a week of in-store appearances across Australia from 8 June 2018.^[5]

In July 2018, the band announced a 30-venue national tour commencing on 10 August in Mount Isa and concluding on 20 October in Gold Coast, Queensland. The tour is their biggest national tour to date.^[6]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
auspOp	[7]
The Music	[8]

Mac McNaughton from The Music said "Kids need this kind of non-threatening, relentlessly up-beat optimism and they'll lap it up" and that the album has "many sickly sweet highs".^[8] David from auspOp said "The band doesn't mess with the formula that makes them so appealing" adding "There's nothing terrible about this album, but it just doesn't seem to go anywhere." David praised the songs "Coming Home", "Love Me Now" and "Edge of the Night".^[7] Stack Magazine said the group have "delivered" on their second studio album, adding "[al]though not everything works. For example, 'Edge of the Night' over-reaches, trying too hard to be a party anthem but ending up sounding like a Peter Andre out take." The publication also acknowledged that "for every misfire there's a banger to ignite the party", saying "'Castaways' and 'Sorry' show genuine pop smarts" and "'We Belong' and 'Live for You' showcase Amy Sheppard's powerful vocal, which is perhaps underutilised."^[9] Mikey Cahill from the Herald Sun said "They ply feel-good, treacly jams that will turn your stomach. Their aim: to serve up inoffensive party pop. They nail the brief on "Coming Home" and "Love Me Now"... they fail on "Edge Of the Night" and … the rest of the LP."^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Watching the Sky"		0:50
2.	"Coming Home"	Chris Wallace Matt Radosevich Jason Bovino George Sheppard Amy Sheppard	3:55
3.	"Keep Me Crazy"	George Sheppard Amy Sheppard Peter Thomas Kyle Moorman	3:16
4.	"Love Me Now"		3:31
5.	"We Belong"	George Sheppard Amy Sheppard Jason Bovino A. Dawson	3:27
6.	"Edge of the Night"	Jay Bovino Amy Sheppard George Sheppard Kyle Moorman Peter Thomas	3:24
7.	"Live for You"		3:54
8.	"Sorry"		4:13
9.	"Choke"		2:55
10.	"Call Me Up"		3:09
11.	"Hometown"		3:07
12.	"Castaways"		3:26
13.	"Riding the Wave"		3:24
14.	"I Was Lost"		4:28
Total length:			46:59

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11]	1
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[12]	9

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Catalogue
Various	8 June 2018	CD digital download streaming	Empire of Song	EOS007
Australia	5 October 2018[13]	Vinyl	Empire of Song	EOS007V

See also

• List of number-one albums of 2018 (Australia)

References

1. "Hometown". Spotify. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
2. "Sheppard Drops 'Coming Home' Video". BroadwayWorld. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
3. "Sheppard might not be cool, but they're writing themselves a whole new line of descriptors". The Industry Observer. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
4. "Sheppard Release New Video & Details of Sophomore Album". V Music. January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
5. "Sheppard Hits the Shops". auspOp. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
6. "Sheppard Just Announced Their Biggest National Tour To Date". Music Feeds. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
7. "Watching the Sky for David's Sheppard Review". auspOp. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
8. McNaughton, Mac (8 June 2018). "Sheppard – Watching The Sky". The Music. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
9. "Sheppard Watching the Sky review". Stack Magazine. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
10. "Album reviews: Beyonce & Jay-Z, Christina Aguilera, Sheppard". Herald Sun. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
11. "Australiancharts.com – Sheppard – Watching the Sky". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
12. "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
13. "Watching The Sky (Vinyl)". JBHiFi. Retrieved 6 October 2018.