Releasing on Speedy Wunderground, the band blossom on their first full length album.
Photo: Kharn Roberts | Words: Brad Sked
Produced by Speedy Wunderground co-founder Dan Carey, London-based, though originating from Falmouth, Cornwall, Moreish Idols have at last released their much-anticipated debut album, 'All In The Game'. Released by Carey's label, which has by now established itself as a cultural institution for British guitar music, the record clocks in just shy of 39-minutes and with it the outfit make a sonic transformation. Over 11 tracks, they depart from the more jagged form of art punk that defined their earlier output, heading into something much more dynamic, expansive – and ultimately stunning.
The opener, 'Ambergrin,' subtly scores psych-tinged melancholy with soft synths reminiscent of Tame Impala's 'Lonerism' era. The result is a jangly, dream-pop wonder, making for a stunningly sorrowful introduction. After this, chaser 'Railway' kicks in as perhaps the most quintessentially 'Speedy Wunderground-type' track from this album. It forms into a groove of skittish but sustained art rock, that morphs into a form of motorik noise-pop evocative of an amalgamation of the influences of fellow Speedy graduates like Britain's black midi and Squid and the pulsating Swedish's noisemakers, FEWS.
Elsewhere, this debut full-length meanders into the more celestial realm. Title track 'All in The Game' draws us into the realm of the cosmic with a form of acid jazz-tinged space-psych-folk, building into a truly pleasant odyssey. Whereas whilst 'Sundog' retains spectres of psychedelic elements, it gravitates towards more indie and post-rock melancholia. Lead single 'Pale Blue Dot', on the other hand, lifts things with some hefty art-rock-meets-psychedelia, almost evoking the spirit of 21st Century cult dream-psych legends Deerhunter. A boutique festival-ready anthem.
The very aptly titled 'ACID' ups the cosmic level again, with some experimental post-rock that intertwines with some monstrous heady-psych fuzz in a colossal riff cyclone that throws one into a far reaching vortex at lightspeed. The result comes out on the weirder side of the San Francisco acid-psych sounds associated with the likes of Fifty Foot Hose and their modern-day heirs Wand and Meatbodies.
'Slouch' again keeps to the interstellar tone, reminiscent of the heady heights of London's circa 2012 krautrock revival. A shamanic hypnotiser of spiralling, fuzzed-out groove, the song revives the spirit of Toy, Ulrika Spacek and south-coast noise fiends Traams, along with flourishes of the Spacemen 3 greats. Gloriously groove-heavy stuff. 'Out of Touch' meanders more into a jazz laced form of psychedelia for a grandiose cinematic-joy ride where the tension continuously builds into something that could soundtrack a noir thriller.
'Tiny Flies' then brings things back from the pensive and uneasy with some honeyed psychedelic-pop and folk that is adorned with some beautiful brass, before eventually looking like transcending into the bardo itself for a Jodorowsky-esque head trip. 'Dream Pixel' keeps things surreal. A psychedelic-rock fuzz-feast of Pond and Slift-like riff-riot, 'Dream Pixel' is a dizzying delight, a megalodon of a track.
Closer 'Time's Wasting' brings us full circle ,echoing the opener with more otherworldly psychedelic space that would make Kevin Parker proud, a celestial climatic finish to this powerful debut. This album comes at a time when there appears to be a quiet psychedelic renaissance within the UK, joining arms with the likes of Mandrake Handshake, Melin Melyn and Dactyl Terra. In the post-sprechgesang post-punk landscape, these outfits are on greater sonic exploration, which is a great thing. This debut is packed with promise and one that should be in the end of the year lists come the tail end of 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment