Browsing Tag

Psych Rock

Take a psychedelic desert rock trip with Shandri’s latest single, Desert Flower

Posted on 21 March 2022

From the ancient mountains of Central Mexico, the alt-indie psych artist, Shandri, is here with his latest progressively indulgent aural trip, Desert flower. It evades every revival cliché by complimenting the shimmering psych-rock transcendent tones with a touch of War on Drugs and Radiohead art-rock finesse.

For the instrumental interlude, the one-man project surpassed expectations with screaming saxophones and jazzy nuances that will leave any self-respecting desert-rock inclined muso weak at the knees. Yet, Shandri invertedly poured plenty of commercial potential in the single by wrapping it into an addictive 3-minute package that deserves to blow up as much as the Black Keys’ biggest hits. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Desert Flower is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Chris Luke has made a soulfully interstellar return to the airwaves with his industrial cosmic rock track, Love’s Big Machine

Posted on 20 March 2022

After getting sync deals in shows, such as Beverley Hills 90210 and McKenna, and contributing to the OST in the 2021 film, The Girl Who Believes in Miracles, Chris Luke has released his first original single in two decades, Love’s Big Machine.

After a snarling industrial rock intro that establishes the Nine Inch Nails influence right off the bat, Love’s Big Machine starts to veer into a vibey euphonic hit that crosses timelines with its psych-pop nuances, classic rock structure and rock opera styling. It’s as spacey as Bowie, as upraising as a Christian & Gospel release, and thanks to the sporadic industrial touches, it’s as visceral as the similarly titled Pretty Hate Machine.

The Cleveland Ohio-hailing artist has definitively mastered the art of allowing pure expressive soul to resonate as infectiously catchy anthemic energy. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Love’s Big Machine pulses with raw energy and heart. Both cacophonous and subdued, the lyrics celebrate the endless tumble of life and love, exploring themes of connection and isolation, with love as the driving force at the center. Part soundscape, part alt-rock-epic, Love’s Big Machine blends beauty and chaos in a unique, radio-friendly rock anthem.”

You can check out Love’s Big Machine for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Keep up to news with Chris Luke’s latest releases via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Arizonian psych-rock experimentalists, SPACEMOOSE, have released their cathartic triumph of a stoner doom debut

Posted on 26 January 2022
SPACEMOOSE by SPACEMOOSE

The experimental music project, SPACEMOOSE, from the Arizona based space rock alchemists Blake Waltein and Josh Merrick, has made its official debut with the self-titled, psychotropic stoner doom single.

The 9-minute long desert rock-inspired single uses the first two minutes to ease you into the opium-den-style opulence and ambience, before darker and more ominous electronic textures join the sitars and tribal vibes. With the addition of angular 60s psych-rock guitars at the 4-minute mark, the single starts to amass momentum steadily, leaving the quiescence from the prelude far behind in the overdriven garagey tones that deliver a sense of chaos to the mix.

Even though the vocals consist of little more than ethereal sermonic chants that bleed into the soundscape, it’s hard not to be beguiled by the mystique in them. It certainly isn’t every day that we hear a debut as authentic and arresting as this 9-minute cathartic triumph. Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what follows.

You can check out the debut single from SPACEMOOSE by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Meet your new slide guitar hero in Forest Ray’s psych-folk single, Always

Posted on 22 January 2022
Forest Ray

The notion of forever may be farfetched, but Forest Ray’s title-single from their upcoming album, Always, melodiously exhibits the beauty in love persisting. The folky psych rock soundscape carries the finger-picking influence of the late and great John Prine as the psychedelic nuances freshen the familiarity under the honeyed timbre of Forest Ray’s vocals.

The soaring guitar slides bring an absorbing dynamic to the release, entrenching Always next to the roots of Americana while simultaneously bringing in the future of psych-rock. Forest Ray deserves to be equally as revered as Kurt Vile for their hazy and cathartic sense of soul that leaves you with no question over their sincerity. For your sanity’s sake, delve in.

The single, Always, will release on January 22nd with the official music video.

Check out Forest Ray on SoundCloud, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: When Mountains Speak embarks on an abstract journey in their live album, From Beyond Comes Within

Posted on 18 January 2022

Texas’ most spiritual solo artist, When Mountains Speak, has released their latest sonic exploration, From Beyond Comes Within. The live-recorded album was recorded through one microphone – not that the all-consumingly psychedelic and transcendent release will allow you to believe it.

The 12-track album pays an earnest homage to the deep spiritual roots that created the foundation for the tribal and rhythmic soundscapes. Yet with When Mountains Speak’s avant-garde flair slipping in through reverberating hums and electronic glitches, there’s a bold sense of creative playfulness. The kind of playfulness that is reflective of the wonder we found in the world before we grew weary of it.

The extended singles amount to a 1 hour and 52-minute experience. With the tribally magnetic rhythms that marry the East with the West, you couldn’t ask for a better sanctum from the chaos that exists beyond music that awakens spiritual intuition.

From Beyond Comes Within is now available to stream on all major platforms. Check out When Mountains Speak on Spotify or via their official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Pinwheel Valley is stripped-back and spiritual in his latest acoustic indie-soul-folk single, Healing

Posted on 12 January 2022
KAIS

Pinwheel Valley bared his spiritual soul in his latest release Healing. The Canadian Cyprus-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer allowed his acoustic single to explore the deep significance of the messiness of our existence and our ability to clean up through bleeding, breathing and healing.

It is thanks to artists like Pinwheel Valley, that the conversations around trauma have moved past idiomatic ignorance. Remember when we were all under the impression that PTSD existed solely in the minds of those that had experienced war? Thankfully, we now see it as a common experience; every ego-blow and mental scar imprinted leaves us with the option of carrying trauma or moving past it, and that is exactly what Healing forces you to reflect on. It’s enough to make you step in front of the mirror and check for scars that have been pushed into the subconscious.

With Pinwheel Valley’s effortlessly artful vocals atop the acoustic guitar strings and nothing else to get in the way of the evocative impact of his lyrics that find a meta way to resonate as confessional, it is easily one of Pinwheel Valley’s most powerful singles to date. As the perfect example, “fall from grace at god’s own pace I’m travelling through the fire, victim of desire” leaves so much more between the lines than your average lyrical confession for the way it alludes to the conflict between our situational emotion and desire.

For Pinwheel Valley’s fans enamoured by his new venture into psychy indie-soul-folk, stay tuned for his upcoming EP that is due for release in February 2022. Healing was officially released on December 19th, 2021. It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Connect with Pinwheel Valley to keep up to date on his new releases on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

North Carolina’s Snatch the Snail are set to release their warped and wavy surf punk single, Sunk

Posted on 6 January 2022
Snatch the Snail

North Carolina’s most psychedelic retro surf outfit, Snatch the Snail, is set to release their warped and wavy alt-rock track, Sunk. Instead of sending you under as the track title suggests, the Avant-Garde nuances in the colourfully mellow track feed the dopamine with the same generosity of Pavement’s album, Brighten the Corners.

While the bent to the point of distortion guitar notes ring through plenty of wobbly echo and delay, the deadpan vocals sweeten the track that has all the hallmarks of a vibe-out playlist staple. With the experimentalism of Mike Patton and the punk surf vibes of Fidlar, it doesn’t take a genius why Snatch the Snail are thriving in their niche.

Check out Snatch the Snail on their website, Bandcamp and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Feliz told a fuzzed-up modern love story in a neo-western landscape with their garage rock hit “Pocket Cowgirl”

Posted on 22 December 2021
Pocket Cowgirl by FELIZ

With plenty of gorgeous wobbly tape echo delay around the Iggy Pop-level gruff vocals in the intro, slipping into the latest psychedelic feat of garage rock from Feliz is a blissful trip away from reality.

The fuzz-loving Californian outfit’s latest single, Pocket Cowgirl, is an analog modern love story gone wrong set in a neo-western landscape. It carries the same gritty gravitas as the likes of Alex Cameron and Jack Ladder in the low timbre vocals while Isela Humerez’ dreamy, distorted and poppy vocals add a stunning dynamic to the lo-fi yet succinctly arranged track.

Even after the eccentricity of Pocket Cowgirl has faded away after the first few plays, it still doesn’t disappoint. The ingenuity keeps on pouring like rabbits from a magician’s hat along with the affirmation that Feliz psychologically delved far deeper than most to deliver this sultry ground-breaking release. And the best part? The playful humility shines through just as much as the shimmering guitars.

Pocket Cowgirl is now available to stream, purchase and fall in love with via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sandro Cuzzetto – Sign of the Times: Inimitably eccentric progressive psych-rock

Posted on 11 December 2021
Sandro Cuzzetto

Ahead of the release of his 2022 EP, Canadian songwriter and experimentalist, Sandro Cuzzetto, released the boundary-breaking title single, Sign of the Times. I’m rarely left stuck for words, but this consistently evolving melting pot of contrasting texture and tone that lets traditional time signatures fall by the wayside left me speechless.

With the dirty disco grooves, polyphonic scores, indie psych melodies, uplifting Enya vibes, effect-laden vocals and general obscurity, Sign of the Times walks a thin line between insanity and ingenuity but we’re here for it. This bop-worthy track succeeds where so many fail when it comes to offering inimitably vibrant soul.

Check out Sandro Cuzzetto for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Columbia harnesses the dystopic 2021 ennui in their latest indie-rock hit, Glory People.

Posted on 5 December 2021
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/hi39HJ1YjrvsKica7

Cardiff’s most visceral powerhouse, Columbia, created the ultimate embrace-the-chaos indie rock track with their latest single, Glory People. As sonically powerful as the high-octane psych-tinged rock hit is, that scarcely comes close to the stadium-filling energy that transpires through Columbia’s advocation of making the best of what we have.

So often, people get stuck in lament because their imagination can create better lives than the one reality puts before them; Columbia broke that negative feedback loop by serving the anthemic reminder that adversity isn’t the end of the world; it is a given. Just as the Stone Roses were a sign of the times, as are Columbia with their indie rock sound that aspires to unify through dystopic 2021 ennui.

Glory People was officially released on December 3rd, 2021. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast