Psychlona – Palo Verde
Release Date: 19th August 2022
Label: Psycho Waxx
Bandcamp
Genre: Heavy Psych, Desert Rock, Stoner Rock.
FFO: Swan Valley Heights, Wet Cactus, We Hunt Buffalo.
Review By: Jason James
There seems to have been a resurgence in Stoner Rock and any subgenre connected to it in the last decade or so. There’s a plethora of bands that have been looking backwards in time to determine the nature of their sound. One of these bands that have been evoking the rock sounds of the 60s and 70s is Psychlona. Formed in Bradford, UK in 2016, they have been building a steady, devoted following both in the UK and abroad. They are looking to build on that success with the release of their third album, Palo Verde.
Their lead single (and track 2 on the album), 1975, tells you everything you need to know about where this album and the band’s sound falls musically. Fuzzy guitars? Check. Echo on almost everything? Check. Dream-like, almost ethereal vocals? Check. Their music elicits images of tripped-out folks in bright, psychedelic colours gyrating wildly in a desert surrounded by makeshift vehicles that double as domiciles.
Fans of Psychlona already know what to expect. All 3 albums could be played back-to-back, and it would be hard to tell which one was from 2018, which one was from 2020 and which one was from 2022. This is by no means an insult. This band definitely falls in the ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ category. What they do, they do very well. This is a very well put together album and is a very enjoyable listen.
They are on tour now in the US in places like California and Arizona, and this is no surprise, as their Stoner/Desert Rock style suits those kinds of locations. They end with a spot at Riffolution Festival in Sheffield, UK, as a kind of homecoming. The quality of this album tells me they will go down very well. Supernaturals is well worth a listen.
(3.5 / 5)
