Psyence

Born and bred in the Potteries and taking their influences from all over, I found Psyence to be a really fresh take on indie rock, fused with a psychedelic edge and melodic underpinnings.

To be honest, there is nothing here that I haven’t heard before but they play with real intensity and no little skill. Their music ranges between riff-laden rockers like the opening ‘Cold Blooded Killer’ and dreamy acid-tinged numbers such as closer ‘A New Dawn’.
In between every number has a slightly different identity and, for me, this is a large part of what made the album so fresh.

The band are formed of Steve Pye (lead vocals and guitars), Jamie (Jay) Bellingham (bass), Joe Walsh (drums), Ben Nixon (keys and synthesisers) and Jamie Cartlidge (rhythm guitar and vocals) and they do create a soundscape of pretty fair width and depth.

Walsh’s drums are right at the centre of much of what they do but he sounds flexible enough not to limit their capabilities and with such varied tracks as ‘Into The Unknown’ with a very Oasis feel to it and – my personal favourite – ‘Bad Seed’ which touches on elements of Hawkwind and West Coast stalwarts Quicksilver Messenger Service creating the most psych track on the album, his pounding rhythms are crucial to the music.

There really isn’t anything about the band that misses the point, the playing is excellent and Steve Pye’s vocals are pretty good. Production from Sam Bloor gives the music a live feel.

For a debut album, I’m impressed. These guys have ‘something’ about them that really works. Looking forward to seeing them live.