An aptly named album for an aptly named band, a brain melting journey into a hot summer-y abyss.
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 19, 2016
GENRE: PSYCHEDELIC ROCK
The Outback has been pumping out quality bands the past few years. As the whole psychedelic rock scene has turned from a full sprint into securing itself a spot in the long marathon for years to come, Australia is right at the forefront, leading the pack for the last five years. A surge of high octane, dazzling fun psychedelic rock bands have been getting a lot of traction. And in the midst of that chaotic fun soundscapes in The Land Down Under, are Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.
The four man army hailing from Perth, Australia debuted with High Visceral, Pt. 1 under the name of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (this has to be one of the greatest band names ever) in 2016, and man did they leave an impression. A high energy, fast dizzying album at first glance, but with a deep meditative atmospheric deep cuts if you looked closer into the album. It’s a great display of what the genre as a whole, and the Australian scene has to offer.
Kicking off the whole album is Cornflake; no slow preludes, nothing. Just a straight deep dive into this heavy, chunky, riff centered around a desert rock tune. This track shows a glimpse of their melodic prowess, solid grooves and explosive playing. With interesting cuts and transitions, it keeps you on your toes throughout the entire track.
And the Crumpets doubled down in the next two tracks, Cubensis Lenses and Marmalade March. Both tracks brimming with intense energy and stylish bravado. Filled with interesting effect heavy guitar tones and parts, accompanied with a raw delayed drowned vocals, none of the effects felt redundant or pulling the performance down. This first set of tracks really again, showed their clever writing while keeping in a rather simple song structure.
But the similarities end here. The Crumpets take a whole different turn from here on out. I could talk about how all the tracks are amazing and special in their own way, but it would take ages for me to finish this article. If the first three tracks felt like a collective world invasion, these next few tracks would feel like the journey through space after you get abducted.
You could argue stylistically it might be messy, for a band to pull out so much stops and different elements and squeeze into one album; but it’s not in the case for Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, they somehow kept it together. How they effortlessly surf through different soundscapes, styles, while keeping it coherent just amazes me.
The production throughout the album is nothing but solid. From the soundscape roller coaster in …and the Abstraction of Being, to the brightly flavoured Surf’s Up that is more than just a surf rock track, to the savage primal roar that is Gallop to Southport, every track stands out in their own special way, with influences from all over the history of western music.
Tracks sometimes get long, but you’ll hardly notice as the deep cuts in this album are highly segmental, with tasteful flashbacks of the initial hook. It actually makes me slightly sad when they decide to take the short route out of some of their tracks like the title track High Visceral, as I feel that they could offer just a little bit more like in their other tracks.
As they close out this mind dissolving journey with the faux ballad Denmark / Van Gogh & Gone, with it’s dreamy vocals and deep synths, it’s a satisfying, perfect full stop to this crazy wild ride, while leaving you with an aftertaste yearning for more. But thankfully there’s Part 2, a whole other story for sometime else. And with that, I’ll see you on the other side, friend.
RATING: 3.5/5
FAV TRACKS: Cornflake, Surf’s Up, Denmark / Van Gogh & Gone
WORST TRACK(S): High Viceral
Listen to the full album: