"An album of ghostly modern folk beauty." - Mojo

"As beautiful and stark as anything Drake ever wrote. 9/10" - New Musical Express

"Gravenhurst inhabits an ominous musical forest through which waft the spectres of Wire,Third Eye Foundation, Vangelis and-if you must- Nick Drake. This jaw-dropping debut is an exciting muddle of modified electric guitars molested with bits of metal, bottlenecks and delay pedals; a prehistoric monosynth; squealing, siren-like clarinets, backwards viola and mangled piano. The lyrics are less surreal - the faintly Venus in Furs-like 'Tunnels' - with its nostalgic allusions to shut-down cinemas and burnt-out cars, and suggestions of rainy urban Sundays spent dodging skinheads in search of some non-existent Arcadia - is the first of many unexpected 1984-era Smiths moments. Gravenhurst’s words may be bleak but the music is his quest for a place where the streets are paved with gold." - Time Out

"Flashlight Seasons songs are driven by their specific atmospherics and production, each bathed in a haze of carefully constructed ambiance and accompaniment. The home-recorded nature here is apparent (a recording approach that Talbot prefers to the frustration of expensive studio work), not because of anything lacking in the production but because of the obvious amount of care put into the arrangement of each track. He's managed an intimate and unpretentious sound, and taken the time to get it exactly right. Nick Talbot has named the shoegazers among his primary influences, and the reverb-drenched guitars and low drones of the genre are apparent in the background of almost every Flashlight Seasons song. 'I Turn My Face to the Forest Floor' is an unabashedly dark and dramatic number with a chilling chorus. The bleak, industrial landscapes channelled through the music of the post-rockers are evoked by the instrumental interlude 'East of the City'. One of the album's strongest tracks, opener 'Tunnels', features Talbot's icy harmonies over a funeral-march inspired drum and organ. As a whole, the album makes for a moody journey of consistent beauty. In truth, Gravenhurst's songs are as indebted to Britpop as any songwriting tradition, as shades of The Smiths are evident throughout Talbot's midtempo, gracefully arranged works. It's a dark pop record that continuously revels in its own ennui, and will be blasting through many a pair of snow-covered headphones in the winter to come." - Pitchfork

"Gravenhurst is simply wow... oozing atmospherics and unselfconscious angst.... stunning stuff" - Venue

"Gorgeous. A disturbing thing of beauty and numbness" - Drowned In Sound

"Essential" - Popnews.com

"There have been some strange things written about Gravenhurst, almost all of them involving usage of the words ‘Nick’ and ‘Drake’. Okay, so the album presents a delicate sounding voice and the most beautifully picked guitar, but for that alone to invoke a direct equation with the man for whom it grew darker layter is naggingly feeble minded. Because, although both artists inhabit a largely pastoral setting, the landscape of ‘Flashlight Seasons’ is implicitly one where the birds have sharpened their beaks and creatures tread lightly with un-holstered claws. More explicitly, it’s where ‘the ghosts of autumn murders walk me home’. ‘River Man’ it ain’t. More straightforwardly, ‘FS’ chronicles tales from the darker side of life with a clarity of sound, voice and lyricism that is at times breathtaking, at others shocking, but never less than entirely involving – pretty as it sounds, you wouldn’t dare turn your back on it for a second. So, for example, whilst you’re fully entitled to be swept away by the chorus to ‘I Turn My Face To The Forest Floor’ - elegantly sung, and boasting a glorious multi-tracked production redolent of Simon & Garfunkel in their pomp – be sure not to miss the words that form it: ‘You're only a stone’s throw from all the violence you buried years ago’. And so it goes, with anger (as opposed to angst), love (though never fulfilment) and nostalgia (never whimsy) recalled with the most disconcerting sublimity; if an antonym would help, try Whitehouse singing ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’. All told, paranoia and foreboding never felt so good.***** " - Venue

"In a way, the first ten seconds of 'Flashlight Seasons' foreshadow the entire album that follows. The first track 'Tunnels' has Nick Talbot opening the album with a softly whispered 'one two three four… one two three four.' His voice is delicate, and his delivery is slow and fragile, bordering on morose. This album is all those things: delicate and slow, soft and subdued. It is also very pretty. The production on 'Flashlight Seasons' is outstanding. The acoustic guitars are balanced between crisp sounding plucked notes and dampened strumming. The instrumentation on 'Flashlight Seasons' is sparse; the approach here is a quiet but tuneful minimalism, with the soft acoustic guitar taking the focus. Synthesizers, clean electric guitars, and an occasional harmonica add a tasteful mood that fills in the background, though the ambient synth takes the forefront in the moody instrumental 'East of the City.' Talbot’s singing is excellent throughout, and his delivery exudes a sadness that is full of beauty. 'Flashlight Seasons' is highly recommended." - Left Of The Dial

"I'm savouring Nick Talbot's second album under the moniker Gravenhurst, 'Flashlight Seasons' from Bristol's Sink And Stove Records. These melancholic, mid-paced pop recordings are memorable, twisty, premier division songs. The result is a runaway winner." - Drowned In Sound

"Nick Talbot’s sterling debut album, ‘Internal Travels’, had reviewers reaching into a shallow bag and pulling out references to Nick Drake, here though he has graduated into the big leagues, his unshowy near-falsetto edging closer to a hybrid of Paul Simon AND Art Garfunkel, no mean trick, and a damn impressive one. A major key to the comparison is the fact that ‘Flashlight Seasons’ was recorded in his bedroom using only two microphones, forcing him to use his acoustic guitar as a lead, melody and rhythm instrument all in one. The results - delicious tumbling chords, understated thumb picking and extended near-modal drones - makes one wonder why anyone would want any more from a song, particularly when the songs are as beautiful as these." - Logo Magazine

"'Are you coming out tonight/We’re going for a drive'. It is at this point, in the fourth track on Gravenhurst’s second album, that I first heard the echoes of Morrissey in Nick Talbot’s sweet voice. ‘There is a light…’ was obviously The Smiths song in question but chilling echoes of Manchester’s favourite son can be heard througout these ten tracks. Unlike The Smiths’ and Morrissey’s efforts – all pomp and edgey guitars - Talbot’s softer-than-feathers delivery is complimented by his massively understated bedroom doodlings. From the seemingly endless organ of opener, ‘Tunnels’, via the quietly accomplished fingerpicking of ‘Bluebeard’ and ‘Damage’, to the slow harmonica playing on closer, ‘Hopechapel Hill’, 'Flashlight Seasons' is the perfect early morning record." - Do Something Pretty

"One of the most joyful listening experiences I’ve had the pleasure of this year. ‘Flashlight Seasons’ creeps like a demonic thief in the night with it’s illicit brew of spellbinding pastoral acoustics and achingly treasured timelessness to magic itself around your heart and wrap you around it’s tumbling chords. Imagine a less cynically angry Neil Young doing John Fahey covers re-arranged by Simon and Garfunkel with the ghosts of John Denver and Nick Drake combining to breathe a spectral aura to the dynamics with Flying Saucer Attack in charge of the final mix. ‘Flashlight Seasons’ is an intimate collection that fuses an unassuming countenance with refrained tempestuousness, best encountered alone with only your thoughts for company and the ghosts of the day hiding in the shadows. Possibly the most hauntingly beautiful album you’ll hear all year, classic doesn’t come near to describing it. An album of such tempered and translucent beauty." - Losing Today

"The gatefold sleeve and minimalist design, In essence a product of an artist who cares about his musical surroundings and has control over the product he wants to put out. This is a very personal journey, all based around acoustic textures overlaid with a backdrop of poignant sparse instrumentation. It’s an album of hope and clarity. Its accomplished and exudes strength through fragile beauty. The album creates the perfect backdrop for cycling around dusty small city roundabouts, wondering where your life has gone and what’s promised to you before silence. " - DJ Ginsters