Stoner HiVe: Psychlona – Warped Vision

zaterdag 17 augustus 2024

Psychlona – Warped Vision

Psychlona – Warped Vision
Magnetic Eye Records – 2024
Rock, Stoner, Psych, Space, Blues
Rated: *****

It sounded off, from islands, across oceans, capturing everyone’s attention immediately. Their debut album Mojo Rising from 2018 kicked down the door for Psychlona to burst through, shining and radiant and have a righteous launching platform to explode from. And in the space of merely three albums they carved out a name for themselves and their sound. Stepping up their game with each release. Venus Skytrip was a huge jump from that already damn fine debut album. And Palo Verde notched it up even more. And coming out September 27th, through Magnetic Eye Records, is their fourth album: Warped Vision. With half the band calling it quits, a new album is always a big deal. Vocalist, guitarist and founder Phil Hey and drummer Scott ‘Jamie’ Frankling are still there and from Lazarus Blackstar they got Martin Wiseman to join on guitar and backing vocals and from that same band Ian ‘Izak’ Buxton is now on bass duties. It’s a big deal a new album. And an even bigger deal now perhaps. Both the members and the fans won’t know exactly what to expect, where the sound will go and how it will all work out. Well, don’t worry, it’s all there and more.

In fact, they could have opened the album with single Let’s Go, which has that Psychlona signature sound you love. It winks at Blast Off, but instead of taking it into the space, they take it to the floor. It’s not a drifter, a soaring song like Blast Off, but a donut screeching, propellent that still revs you up in a similar fashion as Blast Off did. But they decided to open with Jasmine. The newest single and perhaps the logical track to immediately fall in love with. More languid than Let’s Go, Jasmine will immediately get your head a nodding, with that drum and bass work. Before the guitar jumps in you are already deep in the flow of Jasmine. The riff enters, the guitar with its lovely whammy, transitioning into a more direct and pushing riff. And then vocalist Phil Hey enters the fold with that vocal effect that has become another one of the Psychlona calling cards. Taking it all into a gleeful whirling and dancing section. Even when it all slows down and its just the guitar sounding off, you still feel like spinning around. It’s the perfect opener once again, something the boys from Bradford seem to have a knack for. The already mentioned Let’s Go continues in this vein, taking it all up a notch and then transitioning into that other side of Psychlona they do so well with the following third track. The intensely groovy and relaxed, chill out in the festival sun, cloudless summer afternoon, kind of track: Smoke. The ease with which it is delivered, the nostalgic vibe, it all adds to the pure enjoyment of Smoke. And even though some of the lyrical content on the album may not be completely carefree there are still stories within them stories, and you can take them for your own and spin your own tales with them.

Which is a definite extra edge to a lot of the new tracks, the lyrics are on one level deeper, sadder and heavier, but can also be heard through a different lens, giving it the ability to be warped into whatever story you want to hear. Although a track like Split will always be heavy hearted whatever it turns out to mean for you. On the other side of that coin sits storytelling Topanga, which will always be about a certain murderous cult from that area, even if the sounds surrounding the tale are warm and nostalgic once again. A paradox in its own, you almost long for the days of said cult and almost would have loved to be a part of it. And whenever tales of loss, betrayal or grief enter the scene the music can give it a different edge, it will make you enjoy all those feelings to some extent. Cut Loose’s menacing riffs and choppy drums are there to install this restless itch, and instead of giving you the explosion that would scratch it away, they go mellow and into a drifting end, cutting your loose and letting you float away. The thunderous opening of Topanga, giving away to a nostalgic story time about the Manson Family and giving it a constant level of dread; but once again, so incredibly easy to just enjoy and fall into the universal nod. There is more, more Warped Vision to enjoy and there’s more of Psychlona. And that’s what Warped Vision might become most well-known for, the opening of options for the new Psychlona formation, and the way they’ve sounded off for that universal nod. The bluesier version of that cosmic sound they do so well…. Warped Vision will give you an insight into what Psychlona might eventually become, earth rockers that can conquer the universe…

And check back to Stoner HiVe soon… To see what vocalist, guitarist and founder Phil Hey has to say about the new Psychlona album Warped Vision… “Boredom… Ultimate boredom…”