Matte Black - Psyche (2019)
Almost half a decade after the release
of their previous album, Dust of This Planet,
the Brooklyn-based Matte Black band is back again, with right around
half an hour of new material. Leading off with “Isolation Under
Glass”, the band show themselves to be occupying an uncommon
intersection of doom, alt rock, post-punk, and fuzzy heavy rock, with
a bit o' grunge and desert rock for good measure.
Melodies
are compelling, the weight is authentic, and psych-inclined tangents
swell up smooth and cool. The retro vibes are unforced, and blended
with modern vibes enough to neatly dodge any sense of retreading.
It's arguably not even homaging, just the result of picking out
flavors that work best for the songs. A light salting of samples
throws further variety in the mix, and as brief as the overall album
is, it gets great mileage out of the riff explorations and vocal
escalations.
If my
impressions seem a bit choppy, that's because this is one of those
albums where once you put it on, you just want to ride along with it,
and not pull away for other activities. All of the influences melt
together in creative ways, and gliding along with their shifting
currents is mildly hypnotic in its way. From the start all the way
on to “Gone”, the final track, the band provides a damn fine
experience, wowing while keeping their vibe casual and chilled. Take
some time out of your day to check it out for yourself, and once
you've found yourself putting it on a few more times, throw some cash
to the band for a copy of your own.
~
Gabriel
For
Fans Of; Chronobot, Merlin, Pale Grey Lore, Terminal Cheesecake, Wolf
Blood
~
No comments:
Post a Comment