Good grief, Sun Voyager (Kyle Beach – drums, Carlos Francisco – guitar and vocals, Steve Friedman – guitar, Stefan Mersch – bass) doesn’t screw around.
Their sharp EP, Lazy Daze, is a solid bit of stoner / psych rock with killer riffs, heavy drums, and plenty of reverb for reverb lovers like yours truly.
“God Is Dead” kicks off the jams with a cool bass lick from Mersch that only stoner rock bands seem to know how to play. Francisco’s vocals get weird and warped and the drums slow down to near-sludge levels. I don’t know if “Black Angel” is a salute to the band, the Velvet Underground, 1970’s biker movies, or all three, but it sure sounds like a mix of those three and the guitars burn through the whole track.
“Gypsy Hill” mentions “space and time,” which is appropriate because the song has the effect of warping both. I like how Beach’s drums are fairly clear in it while the guitars and bass stay fuzzy. Sun Voyager goes Zen on “Be Here Now,” slowing down the tempo but upping the cosmic feel. The song builds to a near crash at one point, but they rein it in before it breaks. The title track goes from psychedelic rock to stoner sludge about halfway through it and is gloriously distorted and drenched in reverb.
These chaps have released a couple singles since Lazy Daze, so I hope that portends for a new record soon. The world always needs more stoner psych.
Keep your mind open.
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