Whether you’re into that 60’s low-fi groove, the uptempo Gizzy weirdness, or the sludgey stuff, we’ve got something on our list to float your psychy boat.
With 2018 heading towards the exit and 2019 knocking on the front door, it’s a good time to reflect on all the fine music that has been born, nurtured and let loose by Australian bands over the past 12 months. Here, we look at our favourite releases that stray from the normal into the weird, jammy, and heavy realms.
1. Turtle Skull – ‘Eden’
Having (finally) released their debut EP earlier in the year, the Sydney five-piece went on to light up stages up and down the coast with their fervent and powerful live show. ‘Eden’ is a great example of what we love about them; dreamy harmonies from singer/guitarist Dean McLeod and singer/drummer Charlie Gradon hovering above doomy riffs. According to social media these guys are working on new tunes constantly, so stay tuned for more of this gritty deliciousness in 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jdTVotDEFA
2. Space Carbonara – ‘Sticky Baby’
The wild boys from the coast, Space Carbs have really blossomed over the past 12 months. Thumping rhythms, fuzzy guitars and extremely weird conceptualised lyrics, the lads have deservedly earned a reputation as the premiere psych-oddballs of the local scene. Their single launch at the Lansdowne back in July was one of the standout shows of the year, and they’ll be hitting the road for their Dolphin Man Returns national tour with Carl Renshaw over January and February (info here), so catch them if you can!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B90q1n_Y0xE&index=3&list=PLTm7xkM84v4ifDwkTH_E169Qy1mCiMhJL
3. Hobo Magic – ‘Cosmic Cream’
Have you got a spare eight minutes for Hobo Magic? If you answered anything but “yes”, please get far away from me. The Sunshine Coast trio, who are just about to wrap up national tour, have once again produced the riffy goodness with ‘Cosmic Cream’. If you listen carefully you can hear elements of 60’s psych, doom, and prog come together so smoothly on this track – it’s pretty much your one-stop tune of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtl-AW15zH0
4. Pseudo Mind Hive – ‘Weeping Woman’
Melbourne’s dark lords really kicked us in the gut (in the best kind of way) with this one. I don’t know whether you call their debut From Elsewhere an EP or an LP, either way it’s 38 minutes of sonic bliss that picks you up by your ears and takes you on a wavey journey through headbanging highs and spacey lows. ‘Weeping Woman’ also contains my favourite snare hit of 2018 at 01:02 – there’s something about this intro that lets you know you’re about to go for an epic ride. Can’t wait to see what these guys have in store for us in 2019.
5. Stonefield – ‘Far From Earth’
Signing to Flightless really seemed to rub off on the Stonefield gang. Their 2018 LP Far From Earth saw them move away from the heavy-rock sounds of 2016’s As Above,So Below taking on a more effect-heavy and spacey sound. It’s a nice evolution, and this track not only perfectly established their new direction but also hooked us in massively with singer/drummer Amy Findlay’s huge vocals and some tasty riffery (if that is even a word).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkI2sqc7AwI
6. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – ‘Social Candy’
It’s been satisfying to watch the Porn Crumpets transition from local shredders to globe conquering… ahhh… shredders. ‘Social Candy’ not only has the harmonised guitars, tempo shifts, and headbangability that PPC always deliver on, but it also has one of our favourite visual accompaniments of 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlEen4TeW4E
7. Jack Tickner – ‘Let’s Go’
What is Jack Tickner? This one just popped on my Facebook a while ago and completely took me by surprise. Microtonal ‘riffing’, self-referential lyrics, a one-syllable chorus – what is there to like about this song? It reminded me of something off Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica and, after the second listen, I had the same response that I had to Beefheart. It is pure genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzzIgYIJnyE
8. POND – ‘Fire In The Water’
Probably a testament to what Nicholas Allbrook and his crew are capable of, this track was essentially leftover b-side from 2017’s The Weather. The addictively crisp beat in ‘Fire In The Water’ made this track something that I’d come back to often throughout the year when my ears were ringing from fuzzy guitar-heavy tunes. Maybe it’s the koi fish or Allbrook’s groovy moves, but there’s something really warm and soothing about this clip too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BycrWr9z_X0
9. Baked Beans – ‘Slow’
Baked Beans playing live at the stageless Lady Hampshire in October was one of the funnest gigs of the year. Listening to frontman Matt Blanch howl out the tracks from their debut LP Babble was impressive, but watching Mitch Rice wail on the hammond organ was mind altering. ‘Slow’ is the track where those of you who didn’t catch them playing live can probably experience that wailing at its recorded best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxe8mQdhW0E
10. Hideous Sun Demon – ‘Antithesis’
Listening to Hideous Sun Demon is like getting sucked into the mind of a madman – it’s pure chaos. The WA were insane when they supported Psychedelic Porn Crumpets at the Lansdowne earlier in the year, with their thrashy hybrid of garage, punk and psych melting faces of those of us in attendance. ‘Antithesis’ is the perfect opener for their 2018 record Fame Erotic Dream, because it lets you know that you’re about to be dragged along for a wild outing that you won’t want to escape from, even if you could.
