Album Review... Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - High Visceral (Part 2)

I’m often found browsing through new releases in the psychedelic, stoner, desert regions of the musical spectrum.  Sometimes it’s an interesting album sleeve or title that catches my eye only to be disappointed by lacklustre contents.

During one such delve in 2016, I stumbled across a colourful psychedelic sleeve with from a (then) unheard of band with quite a unique name.  Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. That album was their debut release High Visceral {Part 1} which surprised me on two levels; one, it was not what I was expecting to hear and two, just how good it sounded. This prompted numerous recommendations to friends, plus the odd tweet or two, bestowing its virtues.

Since coming together in 2015, the band from Perth, Australia have gained a strong homegrown following and toured with the likes of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard; fast forward to now and they have just released their sophomore album High Visceral {Part 2}.
Opening at breakneck speed with first track 'Nek' the melodic guitar stands to the forefront, counterpoint to the solid drumming.  This is what really sets the tone for the album; it sounds different from what you’d perhaps normally expect.  Second single 'Gurrzle' follows with a mixture of the intense riffs of the opener, but now slows and swirls, with an added saxophone accompaniment, without losing any pace.  'First Light in the Garden at Chipping' is a dreamy wash of new psychedelia that I can’t help but compare to having some of the overtones of the more recent QOTSA albums.
The interestingly titled 'Ergophobia' has a spiky riffed intro, before a wonderful, lolling, rhythm guitar tone (bottle this tone into a guitar pedal) no aversion to working in this song.  Throughout the album, you’d be hard pressed to find any of the usual cliches belied by a band with psychedelic in their name.  There is so much to please the listener and this changes from track to track, including  strings, jazz guitar intros, reggae rhythms and it's a perfect accompaniment to part one. I might try the OK Computer /In Rainbows experiment and blend parts 1 & 2 into a single mix.  It's a superb album and yes you can't get away from comparing them to fellow Australian compatriots Tame Impala, but I can also hear Queens and maybe a little Arctic Monkeys.
It’s said that sometimes you wear your influences on your sleeve but trust me, the beast that is music has many sleeves that reach far and wide and has no boundaries.

Viva El Swain


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