Talent should never be afraid to parade itself loud; thus Joe Shetcliffe, who has played, recorded and mixed everything on his first album as Sketchie, should be proclaiming its existence at the highest volume..
Electronic music can too easily appear as sculpture, but in the sadness inherent to its moods ‘Rain By High Lantern’ paints warm and human pictures with the deft hand of a past master…
Alex Whitehead (Rocksound magazine)

‘Rain by High Lantern’ is an impressively mature and accomplished piece of work that takes the eerie atmospherics of Portishead, the intricate beats of DJ Shadow and the shimmering guitars of My Bloody Valentine, yet creates something truly unique.
‘To Sail Industrial Swan’ and ‘Chelsea Eyes’ are instrumental music at its most affectingly emotional and once he has his teeth into you you’ll be under Sketchie’s power forever.
Paul Clarke (DJ Magazine)

Joe Shetcliffe (aka Sketchie) has a gift for producing atmospheric music. He plays everything on this debut and each part is scrupulously thought out. Every pop and crackle is in place.
Tears well up in your eyes when he plays his piano. The blend of electronics and live instruments is captivating as is the understated vocal style. Every song is beautiful…there’s no denying Sketchie’s remarkable. He’s one to watch for sure.
4/5 (Touch Magazine)

Separating instrumental and fully-vocal work was always going to be a strange choice, but non-the-less, Sketchie chose to put this mini-album out as a separate release to his debut LP. Ultimately, the two records go hand-in-hand in fully describing the breadth of his work. Where Sketch's productions are morose and melancholy, his vocals are massive, energetic, blistering and vitriolic, and when the two are fused is when his music is at its best.
The Writer's Line Benefit is a collection of out-takes, original tracks and b-sides from the twelve inches that preceded the album's release. They are moving to say the least.
The post-rock stillness of Untitled One sets a reflective atmosphere, before the already familiar Sepia Tree ignites with anger and intensity, Sketch's voice lashing and rhythmic. King Clandestine in its instrumental first half is a return to the fragile, pained hiphop of Mummy Fortuna's Theatre Co. That is until halfway into the track, when Sketchie once again makes his vocals known. His rap voice is a stab in the heart of every good-time emcee and his fury is chilling. He is lighter and more approachable on The Fox Hunter Pt1, though no less moving.
He comes out of no-where on Age Of The Canine, launching himself over the beautiful, antiquated (almost baroque) production, delivering his lyrics in two bursts, almost as if these are the points at which he can no longer keep the words in. He layers up vocal harmonies over the lightly picked guitar of Dry, a retrospective moment of control.
But it's the incredible and brief Untiled Two, which closes the album, that steals the show. Several layers of an acapella spray of consonants tumbling over each other, the tone of the voice varying to create a sort of tense melody no less a hurried closing statement than an impassioned cry from a minaret. Devastating.
XvScott (DotAlt)

Trickle by trickle, Sketchie seeps into the consciousness….
He’s making some of the most beautiful music out there..a bit Sigur Ros, a bit Kevin Shields and ever so slightly unsettling…
Like a sonic dust-up between Radiohead and Slowdive.Worth the effort.
Mixmag