• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Jul 06, 2026 Web Exclusive By Matt the Raven

Maryam Qudus’ sophomore effort as Spacemoth is a curious sonic pastiche of futuristic pop. Inward Eye comprises an ambitious melding of electronic loops and singsong melodies colliding with avant-garde sensibilities, featuring scores of interweaving counter-melodies folded together with an art-rock aesthetic. At times, the arrangements mirror the atmospheric weight and genre-defying blends Stereolab are famous for, yet Qudus maintains a distinct vision throughout.

Lead single “Do We Exist?,” along with the bouncy, iridescent “Cloud of Echoes,” sees Spacemoth at its absolute best. Here, a clever mingling of hypnotic beats, pop melodies, and fluid electronic textures are dynamically packaged into animated, vibrant arrangements that lodge themselves in your brain.

But Inward Eye also shows off a diverse landscape crafted with creativity and a willingness to experiment. This is evident on the darker-styled “A Photograph Replaced My Mind,” which comes complete with spiraling, angular guitars, and “In The Garden,” a track that bristles with experimental electronic beats, soothing keys, and a bubbly, propulsive bassline.

A couple of tracks tend to stray off course a bit and feel more like a brief spark than a fully realized fire. However, the music never feels cold or inaccessible, largely thanks to Qudus’ grounding yet graceful alto delivery, which gives the songs a heightened intimacy and provides a crucial sense of cohesion across the album’s shifting electronic terrain.

Ultimately, Inward Eye is filled with layered, attractive sounds that more than justify repeated plays. It’s a fun, texturally dense sophomore outing that proves to be more rewarding each time you spin it, solidifying Spacemoth as an important voice in space-age pop experimentation. (www.spacemoth.space)

Author rating: 7.5/10