As I did in 2016, I'm going to run through a review of yk records releases from 2017.

The short film Arrival is a very special piece of work. Designer, illustrator and animator Alex Myung launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013 to give him the funds to hand animate a film that told the story of a young man discovering his sexuality and dealing with the fear of coming out that came with it. It's a story that far too many have experienced and one that doesn't get discussed nearly enough. It's a 20-minute watch and it's absolutely stunning what Myung was able to animate, regardless of it only being himself doing the work. It's amassed 1.8 million views on YouTube and been screened at several prestigious film festivals. Thes story has no dialogue and moves through its series of events with the aid of the score provided by Upright T-Rex; the creative sound studio powered by Ross Wariner and Cody Uhler - musicians who have released several albums under other monikers with yk records. It's largely orchestral, appropriately dramatic and extremely pretty. I'm a huge fan of everything Upright T-Rex are involved in and hearing that they were scoring a film was an exciting prospect. The results are, in my opinion, wonderful. The music gives the film an extra layer of identity and is instantly recognizable even outside the context of seeing it paired with the film.

The visual identity of the film is, clearly, very much rooted in Anime style and I fear that may give some Western viewers pause before diving in. I understand a lack of familiarity with the style (I am fairly ignorant to it myself) but its an extremely accessible piece, visually, aurally and thematically. I'm proud to have been involved in a tiny portion of spreading the word about the film and getting the soundtrack out to a wider audience.

The record was pressed to Picture Disc vinyl featuring original art from Myung and is streaming on all the platforms.