Drowning Effect

The wild world of psych-rock is no longer the arms race that it once was. Each project banking on discovering the newest tripped-out sonic stimulator to make their tune rise above the din. Although, the search presses on for new uncharted aural territory, the focus has now narrowed in on great songs. The blitzkrieg assaults and dazed faery dust showers have been absorbed as the palette de rigueur. Using those colours, psych artists must put forth great songs to stick out amongst the crowd. They don't have to be pretty, they don't have to be complicated. They just have to be good.

Coming in hot from the land of the enchanted is San Fransisco-based Post-Grunge/Psych Rock juggernauts Drowning Effect. The blazing power trio of Thad Baker (Guitar and Vocals), James Spadaro (Bass and Guitar), and Mark Loftin (Drums and Percussion) bring together the redwood forest psychedelia of the Bay-Area with the rock n roll surfer vibe of SoCal and the brazen speaker shredding proto-punk of Michigan in its heyday. The result is a mix of the Stooges and Jane's Addiction with outbursts that meet Ty Segall's more melodic output. Their second LP Techniculture, the followup to 2019's self-titled debut, further explores the sensory overload of our modern world with a set of catchier, more succinct musical statements. The glut of global information is presented as a whirlpool, inexorably sucking us all in. This mania is echoed by the raging swells of fuzzy guitar and hollered-down-a-well vocals.

The bomb-dropping bends of over-saturated guitar hail down much like their forbears Big Brother and the Holding Company. Fuzz-drenched chords and that burnout zombie-walk drum march drive the opener 'Bright Lights' with a steady revelry. 'Headlines' heavy slapback guitar, driving tambourine, and sing-song lyrics tie into classic 60s bangers like The Kinks or Free.

One of the record's big standouts 'Hand Over' is guided by Spadero's big woolly bass line that breaks with gnarly mid-range goodness. Baker howls like a wolfman at the go-go while Loftin holds down the beat; hearty, heavy, and to the point. It's a track destined for garage rock playlists and psych club DJs everywhere. 'You Come Running' shows the guys playing with more dynamics, stewing up their concoction which bubbles and boils in the verses to spill over in the chorus. The band finds a more droney home on 'Nothing Said (Radio Edit)'. Baker's vocals swirl and coalesce with the free-flowing fuzz. Loftin and Spadero keep their cool, maintaining cruising altitude.

The album's hardest banger 'Gun' bursts with dirty Detroit bravado. Those hovering fighter jet guitars that Ron Asheton wielded like a General paired with Peter Criss' driving, hi-hat led, party drums. Baker cries a cavernous call as a cathartic release of a history of violence. It's hard for bands to hit the level of unpredictable danger that The Stooges hit with their music but with 'Gun', Drowning Effect comes close. The finale 'Rockskipper' deceives with its twangy unassuming opening. The band erupts in distorted dirge one more time in heavy halftime fashion before rolling out for one last ride down the highway.

Techniculture is Drowning Effect taking their overflowing energy and reining it in to crisp, fun, three-minute boppers. The band shows the world falling in all around us but they're ready to dance in the aftermath. A testament to the creative well in that Bay that has spewed forth gritty, enlightening, fantastic rock n roll for over half a century.

4.5 Stars