Experiencing life and love through a new lense is the pulsating theme that runs as the undercurrent of Lotus Heart (2024), Sunburnt Sky’s third studio album. If his last album, The Drift (2023) was about midlife transitions such as faith crisis and relationship woes, the songs from Lotus Heart are the colorful wings that come in to give flight to the second half of life, giving rise to his most vulnerable album yet. As American artist and producer Mike Seely, aka Sunburnt Sky, settles into his distinct niche within the reggae-rock genre by fusing sun-drenched vibes with alternative rock. It’s Seely’s aspiration to create music that celebrates life, despite the inevitable hardships that arise from being human. Growing up in San Diego to the soundtrack of bands such as U2, INXS, and Radiohead, alternative rock laid the foundation for Seely. As a young teenager, his family later moved to southern Utah, and after spending some time as a teenager in the Dominican Republic where Bob Marley was hugely influential, the seed of Sunburnt Sky was planted. However, it wasn’t until the discovery of more recent bands such as Stick Figure, The Movement, and Iya Terra, that Sunburnt Sky sprouted.