When the first song hit, I was not sure what I was being hit with. There is a sonic heaviness to it, but it's not metal. I had to get into the first song before I could discern it's some sort of oddly mutated garage rock that is being attacked by the effects pedals of a shoegaze band. The more surf rock influences do not emerge until the second song. Female vocals that are not unlike the self-deprecating moan of Kim Gordan, are on this mic this time around. Once they begin to drive down the dark road that is "Lowering" the album takes a turn in a tense more post-punk direction, that has a more jammy feel. While this is cool and sounds great live I am sure, that when it diverts several songs in a manner that feels like it's turning the album into one long jam, I begin to question things like songwriting.
It took a few listens to really dissect what was going on here and separate the songs from the sound. The riff shifts into more of a surf punk thing that sounds like Link Wray jamming with the Stooges. The nature of what they do here is more simplistic, but to their credit it works for me here more than when I have heard other bands do something similar. There is more going on with "Tunnel Traps" sonically but the riff is similar though the vocals dripping with effects and being drugged out. This is not the album's first psychedelic moment, but the drugs are kicking in harder here for sure. "Sarabandit" is more of a 60s-like take on garage psych.
There is a trance-like element to the more woozy sounds swirling in "Blue Cat". In some ways it drones in others it reminds me of Stone Roses. 'Traveller/ Caravan' finds the trippiness going in the more predictable manner that is more commonplace with this sort of thing. "Erase My Mind" does this with a smooth-sailing motion as the song drifts into the night. It is darker which works better for my ears. I will give this wild wonderland a 9, it took turns I did not expect.
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