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skybelly inhabits the twilight streets of melbourne, infusing psych rock with ethereal vocals.
their third album, silverado, dives deeper into psychedelic terrain, but with a romantic twist that has come to characterize the skybelly sound.

lead singer sara says:

“It’s a soundtrack to a movie that hasn’t been made yet. It’s a fantasy- adventure-comedy, something like Jumanji or The Mask. Shot on film, lots of prosthetics, make-up, animatronics. Iconic outfits.”

about the artist: skybelly

skybelly began in a bedroom with a cracked copy of FL studio, an overheating laptop, and chopped-up samples of the butthole surfers.

it didn’t sound very good. but it was very fun to make. sara embarked on a journey to learn music production, graduating with a BA from collarts in 2019.

playing solo shows across melbourne, sara’s high-energy performances converted audience members into bandmates. soon enough, skybelly became a band.

early works “the drama of a lava lamp” and “a space tramp odyssey” are ‘hypnotic, trippy, and sensual’ (Arun Kendall, Backseat Mafia, 2021) combining lush dream pop with cinematic storytelling.

2023 saw the release of “vella”, a record whose ‘sense of freedom and expression is omnipresent and contagious… delivered in a unique and well-executed cocktail of grunge and psychedelia (Jay Honeycomb, No Transmission, 2023).’

the new album, “silverado” is out hallowe’en 2025.

skybelly is:

sara nelson - vocals, engineering, production

christine yannopoulos - bass, guitar

liz blackthorn - keys

kristy effie (krispy) - drums

Crucially, what works about skybelly is that Nelson is a likeable frontperson, the type of singer you root for… Whether making allusions to being a "bad bitch queen" or spouting out a wonderfully inventive free verse, Nelson mixes modern pop intentions with grungier, dirtier musical sentiments.

— Jay Honeycomb, No Transmission

about the album: silverado

engineered and mixed by sara nelson, “silverado” came to life in collaboration with bandmates chris yannopoulos (bass, guitar), kristy effie (drums), and liz blackthorn (keys), with features from will dillon (guitar), and tarryn benson-smith (guitar).

vella silverado is the main character. born and bred to be an assassin, she decides to quit, much to the chagrin of her father. with no experience in conventional employment, she becomes an escort, accidentally falling in love with one of her clients.

while getting to know her new love, vella uncovers his secret plot to power his new tech: stealing all the stars from the sky. hijinks ensue. at one point, she goes undercover as a pop star. at another point, she must close a portal to a parallel universe - the usual shenanigans.

it’s a wild ride, made all the more chaotic by the evolving landscapes that skybelly traverse. each song presents a unique sonic footprint: there’s the playful, upbeat, singing-in-the-shower pop of “girl thru the stereo”, the unhinged intensity of the stoner doom “hades is my new boyfriend,” and the theatrical “so this is love,” which can only be described as ‘circus-rock’. it features all the clownery of the dating world, sung by a lunatic ex.

“we had a lot of fun with that track. it’s a chance to go full crazy. and you gotta let the crazy out, ‘cause if it stays inside, it will end up in your eyes and people will know.”