Category Archives: psychedelic

Alt- Pop, Dream Pop, Electronic, EP Review, Indie Pop, New Music, Psych-Pop, psychedelic

TV ME ‘A Broadcast From TV ME’

Liverpool based three-piece pop project TV ME have recently dropped their newest EP ‘A Broadcast From TV ME’, a four-track experimental fusion of psych, art pop and dream pop. Led by Thomas McConnell, the songwriter of the band – who toured as a solo artist supporting Mercury-nominee, C Duncan, before taking time to hone his writing skills and further explore the incorporation of psych and electronica into a new project.TV ME formed in early 2017 with their debut single gaining instant airplay with BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, and a signing with Deltasonic Records for their early releases. Offering harmonic vocals teamed with classic song-writing and engaging textures, the newest release from the trio – their first self released project, presents an EP ranging in style from psych-folk to cinematic instrumentals and dance pop whilst still retaining a fresh sound. Since their formation last year, the trio have landed some notable support slots with the likes of Cat’s Eyes, Flyte and Childhood and have recently completed their first UK headline tour in support of their EP release, with plans to release their debut album later in 2018.

The lead single ‘Stitches’ kicks off the EP. The track was written in sections by Tom himself over the duration of 15 years, with the beginning piano piece written at the age of 14, the ending written age 10 and middle section ‘stitching’ the piece together two years ago in 2016. Taking inspiration from old videos of Laurel & Hardy, Pinky & Perky and A Hard Day’s Night for sound and lyrics, 60’s and 70’s influences can be clearly heard in both the vocals and guitar. Twinkling guitars and jazzy piano accompaniment instantly shoot you back to a flower power 60’s -esque time. While lush vocals coo with a soothing quality. It’s dreamy and airy swirling with gentle sweet psychedelic soundscapes which create a sublime euphoric atmosphere. ‘Mountain Biplane’ follows – a little more electronic with bouncy synths creating a whirlwind of trippy soundscapes while a sticky beat flickers between the catchy melody. It’s vibrant psychedelia wrapped up in a luscious candy floss dose of pop. They whack in a nice shot of obscurity too as spacey wobbly synths introduce ‘Day’ followed by a beautiful elegant piano feature. This sway like instrumental number glides with grandeur as the piano provides a touch of romantic cinematic class and finesse while a soft tapping drum beat gives a steady foundation. Gently backing vocals whisper “ooh ahh” creating a tender oh so delicate effect. ‘Opal Fruits’ closes the album with funky guitar jingles between swirling trippy soundscapes. Once again velvety vocals glissade upon a melty instantly likeable melody while sublime obscure soundscapes rush around.

‘A Broadcast From TV ME’ is an outstanding cocktail of psychedelic, art pop and dream pop blended and fermented perfectly to create a wholly unique and satisfying listen.

You can catch TV ME live at

Stoke – 30th March – Your City Festival

Chester -26th April – Alexanders

Stream  ‘A Broadcast From TV ME’ below

https://soundcloud.com/tvmeband/sets/a-broadcast-from-tv-me/s-51nIT

 

 


Alt Rock, Hypnotic, Indie Psychedelic, indie rock, New Music, psychedelic, Trance, Worth A Listen

Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Strange Cages

Brighton trio Strange Cages have returned with a series of live dates and another dizzingly impressive new single ‘Hypothalamus Blues’, out now through Vallance Records.With a frenetic, snotty, psych-surf rock ‘n’ roll sound in the vein of The Cramps or Ty Segall, Strange Cages have already been making big strides in their short existence, quickly gaining support from the likes of Clash Magazine, NME, Q Magazine, The 405 and The Line of Best Fit, whilst tearing up stages in support of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Night Beats, and Boogarins. Having followed up their Theo Verney produced debut ‘Desert’ with the single ‘Pony’, Strange Cages went on to release their head-spinning EP ‘The Cracks’ last year, and now the trio return with ‘Hypothalamus Blues’.

‘Hypothalamus Blues’ is a feverous whack of dizzying psychedelia wrapped in a neatly bound concoction of krautrock and post-punk. This trippy mind melting number will lure you in with a smooth snappy effortless cool vocal line and western-esque twinkling guitar before submerging you in a swirling delusion inducing narcotic soundscape. The track begins dreamy and sweetly euphoric as a hazy melody melts upon soft laid back mellow soundscapes. It then builds into an electric shock of blinding shrilling distortion and heavy fuzzed psychedelia. Before settling again slowly easing the skull bashing mania only to build that frenzy back up again. This schizophrenic bewildering track is a thrilling and spine chilling experience which was carefully crafted for the perplexing trip of a life time.

Strange Cages will also head out to perform a series of UK live dates in support of the release catch them live at

22 Feb – CARDIFF – The Full Moon

23 Feb – BRIGHTON – Green Door Store

01 Mar – LONDON – The Lock Tavern

Stream ‘Hypothalamus Blues’ below

https://soundcloud.com/user-848745196/strange-cages-hypothalamus-blues


Acid Rock, Alt Rock, Alt- Pop, Fuzz Rock, Garage Pop, Garage Rock, Garage-Psych, Hypnotic, Indie, Indie Psychedelic, indie rock, New Music, psychedelic

Dead Vibrations ‘On A Sunday Morning’

Dead Vibrations burst onto the booming Stockholm music scene in 2015 and have been flying the flag high for Scandinavian shoegaze ever since. Their dark and gloomy noise pop channelling a mix of visceral Mary Chain-esque guitars, droning psychedelia a la Spacemen 3 and even Seattle grunge at times – resulting in a reverb-drenched sound that manages to sound both unapologetically indebted to its influences yet completely modern. Having spent the last couple of years touring Europe, bringing their blistering live show to venues and psych fests across the mainland, and releasing just two releases – their debut 12″ EP ‘Reflections’ and 2017s 7″ single ‘Swirl/Sleeping In Silver Garden’ – Dead Vibrations have signed to London imprint Fuzz Club Records for the release of their self-titled debut album, due for release January 26th. To kick-start 2018 the band have released their crushing second single from the album, ‘On A Sunday Morning’.

‘On A Sunday Morning’ is a thunderous assault of dizzying noise pop concealed among a swirling intoxicating blur of shoegaze guitars and blinding psychedelia. Razor sharp guitars pierce through the track drenched in stinging acid as they scorch and blaze between pulverising drums. Its hazy delusional psychedelic soundscapes swivel and swirl like a hypnotic dazed invasion on your senses while lo-fi vocals echo throughout soothing the dazzling soundscapes. Using a sublime amount of shrilling distortion the band create a trippy relentlessly biting track wrapped in a frenzy coating of buzz fuelled darkness. With a gloomy moody tone propelling the track and forming its thick sulky fuzz tainted foundation it’s still surprisingly light and zesty. Dead Vibrations have found the perfect blend of dynamized, shrilling psychedelia and smooth hazy pop to create an invigorating kinetic track.

Stream ‘On A Sunday Morning’ below

 


Alt Rock, Fuzz Rock, Garage-Psych, Hypnotic, Indie Psychedelic, New Music, psychedelic

Pretty Lightning ‘This Machine Is Running’

Christian Berghoff and Sebastian Haas are two lifelong friends from Saarbrucken, Germany who back in 2007 formed the band Pretty Lightning. The duo tick off a long list of influences from 60s psych and delta blues through to krautrock and drone and the end-product is a heavy dose of raw, twisted psychedelic-blues.The two-piece have two highly-praised LPs behind them and have now released their new album ‘The Rhythm Of Ooze on Fuzz Club Records. ‘This Machine Is Running’ is the perfect example of what this duo have to offer.This relentlessly dizzying track is a constant assault to the senses of bewildering hallucinogenic soundscapes that melt your mind in a blissful woozy staggeringly striking blast of psychedelia.  An entrapping stomping rhythm pumps adrenaline through your veins while fuzzed out guitars add a disoriented daze and thrilling labyrinth to wander through, its lushly mesmerising yet darkly eerie. Reverb vocals echo throughout creating a hazy soothing effect to the rushing surge of instrumentation. The perplexing invasion of your mind only slows down in pace to submerge you in a swirling whirlpool of deranged meandering keys. It’s an enthralling stupefying heavy dose of psychedelic rock. A trip you won’t return from quite the same again.

Stream ‘This Machine Is Running’ below


Alt- Pop, Dream Pop, Indie, Indie Pop, New Music, Psych-Pop, psychedelic

The Elephant Room ‘Naive Green’

Dublin-based trio The Elephant Room released their debut album Body in 2014, followed by the EP ‘Blotch’ last summer. They have now released their new single ‘Naive Green’. This psychedelic tinged track is sun kissed lazy days bliss. With smooth laid-back vocals and soft bouncy percussion all wrapped in a breezy mellowness it’s an instant tranquilising shot of ecstasy. With diluted guitar lines paving the path to the dreamy wobbly promised land this track is that subtle gesture and nudge that takes you to your mind-numbing state of bliss. With simple hypnotising “do do do” lyrics and fluffy comfy swirling soundscapes it’s the most luscious melty track that calms, sedates and fills you with hazy summer joy. This track is well crafted as The Elephant Room lull and coo with sublime weaving instrumentation as the perfect backing. Slightly trippy and sweet and oh so smooth these guys are ones to keep an eye on.

Watch the video for ‘Naive Green’ below


Alt- Pop, Hypnotic, Indie, Indie Pop, Indie Psychedelic, indie rock, New Music, psychedelic, Worth A Listen

Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Ali Horn

Ali Horn has released his new single ‘Bloom’ via Liverpool based The Label Recordings.  His second single after the release of ‘Days Like Today’ in February. The track which has already been played by Chris Hawkins and Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music and by BBC Merseyside, is four minutes of hazy psychedelic bliss. With a wall of spiraling guitars and punchy drums embracing your brain with tranquilising bubbliness it’s a hallucinogenic inducing trip of ecstasy. The echo laid back vocals soothe and lull you into a mind-numbing stupor while the whirling flower floating soundscapes playfully weave their way between sharp warm guitar stings. It’s a dreamy utopian experience that just consumes you with every note. The blistering guitars are the only strong fragment to hold onto, so you don’t lose yourself completely in the mind dissolving track.

When asked about the track Ali explains: “It was the first track that I wrote away from Strange Collective in recent years that I actually thought was any good, first taking form in my basement bedroom come studio the original demo was 9 minutes long. This was then shortened for our live shows and then even more for this single version that we did last month in Parr Street Studios. I guess in essence it’s about loneliness, sitting around out of my head thinking about where all my friends and loved ones were, sending them love and good vibes and hoping they were doing the same”

Stream ‘Bloom’ below

https://soundcloud.com/ali-horn/bl00m/s-WMVRb


Alt Rock, Hypnotic, Indie, Indie Psychedelic, indie rock, New Music, psychedelic

Indie Buddie Introducing : Carnivals

Carnivals are a home-grown talent from South East London, Cal Green (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Joe Hannen (Guitar/Synth), George Brimble (Bass/Vox) and Harry Wood (Drums/Vox) came together in 2015 after musical party antics turned into dynamic jamming sessions and inspired song writing. The band have recently released their debut single ‘Leave It All Behind’. Immersed in hallucinogenic 60’s and 70’s retro-psych this track is a slick blistering blast of euphoria. With stinging strides on guitar and punchy drums creating a thrilling piercing wall of sound for the dizzying synths to rebound off it’s a wobbly mirage of bliss. The liquefying almost misty melody evaporates off the scorching humid instrumentation while Green’s vocals effortlessly coo with a laid back hazy tone. This track is both cool, dewy and sizzling hot all at once. It’s a smashing debut from the four piece. Keep an eye out for Carnivals.

Stream ‘Leave It All Behind’ below


Alt Rock, Hypnotic, Indie Psychedelic, New Music, psychedelic

The Limiñanas ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’

French psych duo The Limiñanas have released their new single ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ through Because Music. Featuring Anton Newcombe (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and produced at his Berlin studio, the single is taken from their ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ EP out 17th November. The Limiñanas are Marie (drums/vocals) and Lionel (guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals). Hailing from Perpignan, the duo straddles the boundary between psych, shoegaze, and yé-yé. ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ is a sixties flavoured psychedelic shimmy smothered in a dark concoction of thrilling paranoia. With shadowed hazy reverb laden hooks creeping behind effortlessly cool swagger filled vocals it’s a bewitching entrapment of the mind. Flickering percussion adds a danceable allurement which draws you into the dark depths of Newcombe’s eerie yet seductive vocals. Swirling keys add a feathery light swish to this muggy sweltering track. It’s a relentless pursuit of your senses subtly luring you further and further into the track’s abyss. Occasionally blasting shots of distortion into the mix it’s a thrilling captivating track from The Limiñanas. Indulge in it, consume its psychedelic dreamy haze until you are trapped in the blissful loop. This duo are refined, cool, timeless and quintessentially French.

The moody, sixties-inspired video to ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ was directed by Jean Luc Moly watch it below.


Alt Rock, Hypnotic, Indie, Indie Psychedelic, indie rock, New Music, psychedelic, Rock, Synth Rock, Worth A Listen

Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Serene

Psychedelic Rock trio Serene have released a video for their new single ‘Havana’ which is the third single from their new album ‘The Lonely Road’. From the trippy flicker and stabbing acoustic intro this track sends shivers up your spine. It’s a throbbing gritty fuzzed wallop of the psychedelic rock this trio do so well. Blistering guitars fire through the track with red hot intensity. An infectious throbbing bassline grooves with a luring smoulder and punchy drums bruise deep while flashing wobbly synth soundscapes quiver and dazzle with bright kaleidoscopic scintillation. It’s an epileptic fit of psychedelic bliss. Raw edgy and razor sharp in all the right places Serene build the track slowly and meticulously right up to the dizzying hallucinogenic crescendo. Smooth swagger soaked vocals strut and prance around the beaming instrumentation with intensified emotion. Underneath all this acute fury there is a velvety smoothness and dreamy haze floating about. It’s tranquilizing and sweetly paralyzing to the harsh instrumental battering. It’s a mighty absolutely brilliant track from Serene. They are one of my favourite new bands at the moment and each track they release gets better and better. An exciting band to keep an eye out for. So good.

Watch the video for ‘Havana’ below


Alt Rock, Hypnotic, Indie Psychedelic, New Music, psychedelic, Worth A Listen

Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Swedish Death Candy

Psychedelic, experimental rock band Swedish Death Candy have released their new single ‘Last Dream’ taken from the self-titled debut album, due to be released on 10th November. This acute splintery track slashes with razor sharp screeching guitar between a meaty kick ass riff. Shrilling and screeching with tantalizing noise surrounded by psychedelic narcotically trippy soundscapes it’s a bewildering mind-boggling assault of turmoil. Smooth velvety vocals soothe with a melty sweet melody. Strong drums pummel your skull as the track swirls and winds in a hypnotic bliss while heavy instrumentation blasts with raw piercing rock. It’s frenzy causing and chaotic yet well-structured and crafted to lure you into a fuzzed distortion of delusion. These guys know how to place you in a musical dizzy spin of thrilling psychedelic rock.

The video has been constructed from publically available found footage from 1968-1978 and follows a Clockwork Orange-style narrative interpretation of a ‘Last Dream’, using startling imagery and editing techniques to disorientate as well as enthral.

Frontman Louis Perry describes: “The track is about trying to move on/move away from stuff that’s negative/toxic. But it’s also about the alluring nature of these things. It’s also about how time fades when you’re stuck in a particular mindset or relationship or state. Lastly, it’s obviously about dreams; recurring dreams, and dreams that remind you of the past. It’s not all negative though, it’s also about how these experiences can be fun in the moment”.

You can catch Swedish Death Candy live at

27 Oct LEEDS Belgrave Music Hall

16 Nov 2017 LONDON The Black Heart

21 Nov 2017 BRISTOL The Crofters Rights

28 Nov 2017 BRIGHTON Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar

29 Nov 2017 ST. ALBANS The Horn

30 Nov 2017 LEICESTER The Cookie

08 Dec RENNES Trans Musicales Festival

13 Dec MANCHESTER The Castle

Watch the video for ‘Last Dream’ below