Mute Swan's sophomore LP, Skin Slip, releases in the shadow of tragedy. The stunning, atmospheric, triumphant record from the Arizona band is now a tribute, though this sense of loss that has animated the band in the past few years is nowhere to be heard on record. Shortly after they finished tracking the album, the band that now consists of Mike Barnett, Prabjit Virdee, and Gilbert Flores, lost their dear friend and the band's guitarist, Thom Sloane. It was a death that rocked the entire Tucson music scene, and left the rest of the band struggling to properly honor their fallen brother while still hoping to put Skin Slip out into the world. After connecting with Hit The North Records, the trio figured the best way to pay tribute to their bandmate was by sharing the music he cared so deeply about. While Skin Slip exists almost with a naivety about what would arrive shortly after, it now exists as a celebratory and exultant salute to Thom Sloane and the music he made with Mute Swan.