Australian Guitar

GRINDING EYES

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THEY ARE a mystifying crew of psych-rock shredders from Sydney wielding huge, hypnotic guitar runs slathered in reverb and overdrive, crumbly basslines and sharp, soulful singing. Between their gauzy, punk-infused hits and the searing twists of instrument­al eccentrici­ty that fill in the gaps, the trio excel at setting a mood and exploring every choppy, unpredicta­ble peak and valley it offers.

THEY SOUND LIKE the score to a clandestin­e speakeasy well past midnight, where illuminati secrets flow as freely as the absinthe. You’re pretty sure that’s a Hollywood fat cat standing in the corner, fidgeting with a switchblad­e. What the f*** is going on here? Wait, where did the door go? Is this a dream? Hell? Did it just start raining? But we’re indoors! Oh man, am I losing my mind!?!?

YOU’LL DIG THEM IF YOU LIKE King Gizzard, The Black Angels, Sleep (the band, not the activity), and cruising down winding roads in foreign lands as street lights flicker past in your periphery, chasing not adventure nor scenery, but a backdrop to match the opacity of your wandering mind.

YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT their equally slick and seedy new album TasteTheMo­nochrome, fresh on shelves via Poison City. On it you’ll find a surplus of punchy jammage and jagged, roaring solos – this is one to crank loud with the lights off, truly allowing yourself to sink into the sprawling, sinuous soundscape­s of fuzzy incandesce­nce and animated grunginess.

 ?? Photo: Somerset McGourty ??
Photo: Somerset McGourty

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