Album Reviews

Sub Pop

Los Angeles Psych-Pop artist Morgan Delt finds a highly creative but accessible sound with Phase Zero. Whereas his 2014 self-titled debut explored a more experimental and unusual edge, the new record, out on Sub Pop, settles into some blissful, sun-drenched and Acid-soaked Psychedelic Pop.

Moulded in a thick fog of haze and smoke, the record has dense layers of Psychedelic Rock and lo-fi production swirling around in a heady, intoxicating mix. Colour busts out from every angle, with fizzing synths blurring into weightless, murky guitars splurging out slow chords. Drums are spattered across the record, melting into the walls of echo and reverb that reflect each sound back into each other. It’s a hectic soundscape, but one that sounds warm and inviting. Playful grooves and sweet vocals keep the album fun and optimistic, adding a Pop sensibility to its wild and psychedelic core. This tussle between experimental and Pop helps to create that bustling energy and idiosyncratic personality that is at play throughout the entire album.

Bright, beautiful, bold and expressive, Phase Zero is not a cheap appropriation of a revivalist Psych-Rock sound that continues to flood LA, but rather is an individual exploration of personal influences and homemade, lo-fi excursions. A highly imaginative an intuitive album, Phase Zero is Morgan Delt’s most confident and focused work to date. Tom Jones ADD THESE TO YOUR PLAYLIST: I Don’t Wanna See What’s Happening Outside, Another Person, The Lowest of the Low| 9/10