Category: Psychedelic

Top 25 albums of 2025: #’s 5 – 1

This is always a tough decision, although my number one album of each year tends to arrive early and not leave. This trend continued in 2025.

#5: Sextile – yes, please.

Thrilling electro, sexy bass, erotic lyrics, club bangers, provocative cover, you name it, this album has all of it. It shot up into my top ten of the year as soon as I heard it and was one of the hottest records of 2025.

#4: Lonnie Holley – Tonky

Beautiful, soulful, and powerful, Tonky has soul legend Lonnie Holley encouraging us to all come together in turbulent times, “protest with love,” and embrace our neighbors. This is an album that rings true in any year, but we needed it in 2025.

#3: No Joy – Bugland

I hadn’t heard anything from No Joy in a while, so it was great to hear from them again and with such a good record. It mixes shoegaze with psych and pays tribute to the healing properties of nature and presence. I didn’t realize how much I missed No Joy until hearing this.

#2: DITZ – Never Exhale

These fiery post-punk Brits seemed to come out of nowhere (to this Yank, at least) and unleashed one of the loudest, wildest records of the year. The album is about anxiety and panic, but it never goes completely off the rails. It keeps you on the edge of your seat or helps you burn off aggression, depending on which track you blast.

#1: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Death Hilarious

As soon as I saw that album cover, I knew Death Hilarious was going to be a monster of a record. My gut was right. This is another heavy stunner from Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs in a line of material that has yet to miss. The topics of loss (friends, creative energy, relationships) and satire are biting and empowering. You’ll growl, stomp, and roar along with this record. You’ll laugh at the absurdity of our times with it, and then dive into the mosh pit with glee.

There’s already a lot of good stuff lined up for 2026. Let me know what you’re looking forward to the most!

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Tombstones in Their Eyes – Under Dark Skies

“The songs on this album were driven by the desire to come back from a complete mental breakdown.”

That’s a quote from Tombstones in Their Eyes‘ guitarist and vocalist John Treanor in the notes sent to me along with their newest album, Under Dark Skies. The opening riff of the title track blasts you with power and then Treanor’s lyrics like “Give me hope because I can’t find it. Give me truth so that I can deny it.” hit even harder.

“You Never Have to Love Me” is a plea for intimacy during a time when true connection is cast aside for digital, ephemeral feelings. “The Beginning” is a big, bold instrumental track with subtly groovy drumming by Stephen Striegel. “Sick So Sick” is a great title to sum up how tired everyone is of everything right now.

“Alive and Well,” on of the singles from Under Dark Skies, almost didn’t make the cut because one of the band’s guitarists, Paul Boutin, who played on it and other tracks, died from cancer in October 2025. TITE initially were not going to release it as a single, but remembered it was one of Boutin’s favorites and the lyrics about resiliency and moving forward instead of getting stuck carried even more meaning after his death. It’s a solid track, with Boutin’s guitar work shining throughout it.

The heavy psychedelic guitars on “I’m So Happy Today” and the slight eye-roll to the vocals add a bit of sarcastic dark humor to the record. You’re never quite sure if Treanor and co-vocalists Courtney Davies and Clea Cullen ever really mean it. “I See You Looking Out My Door” instantly reminded me of some of The Smithereens‘ heavier tracks. The guitar riffs are a nice blend of psych-rock and garage-rock.

“I’ve been avoiding myself for too long,” Treanor sings at the beginning of “You Can Run.” You can run from what’s bringing you grief, stress, misery, or even just exhaustion, but you won’t get far for long. You have to be present with it. It’s the only way to “find a way out,” as Treanor says.

“Better Somehow” is a twisting, winding track that feels like incense smoke coming from a sound booth at the back of a small rock venue while TITE blast you from the stage with waves of sound. The album ends with a heavy one – “Take Another Piece of Me.” Nic Nifoussi‘s bass growls and prowls around like a dangerous wolf as Paul Roessler‘s keyboards add almost a gothic-gospel sound to it.

It’s another good record from TITE, and I’m intrigued by the second album in a row with a nautical-themed cover (Asylum Harbour being the first). The band went through rough seas in the last couple years to be certain and Under Dark Skies helps them, and us, navigate them.

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll be under dark skies until you subscribe.]

[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR.]

Top 25 concerts of 2025: #’s 10 – 6

So…many…concerts. They’re my favorite way to spend my paychecks, really. Which were among the top ten I saw last year? Read on, my friend.

#10: Frankie and The Witch Fingers – September 28, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX 

FATW never disappoint live. This set at Levitation Austin felt like they were playing in a hurry in the best possible way. They wasted no time on the stage and had the whole place going bonkers the entire time.

#9: Kadavar – June 27, 2025 – Levitation France – Angers, France

I hadn’t seen Kadavar since they played at the first Austin Psych Fest I attended back in 2013. They even mentioned how they hadn’t played a Levitation festival since then. They sounded great and played a great showcase of their evolving sounds from doom metal to psych-rock.

#8: The Limiñanas – June 28, 2025 – Levitation France – Angers, France

Speaking of great shows in France, seeing The Limiñanas on their home turf was the top priority for me at Levitation France last year. It was a great set that even included a cover of The Cramps’ “TV Set.” I still don’t know why they didn’t close the night and the festival. That honor went to Boy Harsher, who did a fine job, but The Limiñanas were a tough act to follow.

#7: Castle Rat – September 26, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX 

If you’re looking for a band to open your festival, you can’t do much better than Castle Rat because they set such a high bar on Day One of Levitation Austin that all the other bands that day were scrambling to catch up to them. The set included a swordfight with the Grim Reaper, a resurrection performed by a Plague Doctor (the bassist), and an eternal quest to keep a book of souls from an evil wizard. The line at their merch booth was at least twenty minutes long for several hours afterwards.

#6: Viagra Boys – September 17, 2025 – The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL

The last time I saw Viagra Boys at the Salt Shed, it was at a sold-out show inside the main building. This time it was a sold-out show on the exterior stage and it was just as bonkers. People in shrimp costumes, custom Shrimptech jackets, and wiener dog shirts were everywhere. They sounded wild and weird, which is exactly what you want from them.

Who’s in the top five? Two longtime favorites, a reunion tour I almost didn’t get to see, and two bands I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see live. Come back tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 albums of 2025: #’s 10 – 6

Here we are at the top ten albums I reviewed last year. The choices get tougher as the numbers get lower. Let’s get to it.

#10: The Limiñanas – Faded

A salute to forgotten models, actresses, singers, and to lost friends, Faded is another solid album from the French psych-rock duo. It has all the elements you want from The Limiñanas – wild guitars, heartbeat drums, smoky vocals, and a sense that they’re re-creating something you’ve forgotten.

#9: Blackwater Holylight – If You Only Knew

It was great to get a new recording from Blackwater Holylight last year (and a new full-length album is already on the way), and If You Only Knew marked a turn toward shoegaze for them. I’m all for it. The heavy guitars and deep, often sad lyrics are still there. Perhaps doom-gaze is a better description of it. Then again, why bother describing it? Just let overwhelm you.

#8: Frankie and The Witch Fingers – Live at KEXP

I’ve been waiting for a live Frankie and The Witch Fingers album for a little while, and this recording of a raw, raucous show for KEXP didn’t disappoint. It’s difficult to capture their live show energy, but they did it. The fact that they open the show with “Brain Telephone” (an oldie) makes it even better.

#7: Roi Turbo – Bazooka EP

This, simply put, is the best house music record I heard all last year. It makes you crave a longer record. These guys are having a lot of fun and thankfully they invited us to the party.

#6: Joe Alterman & Mocean Worker – Keep the Line Open

This jazz-funk-trip-hop record is a delight from start to finish as pianist Joe Alterman and producer / DJ Mocean Worker pay tribute to funky legend Les McCann. Every song is highly danceable and will brighten any time of day.

Up next, the top five, which includes two welcome returns, another legend, electro upstarts, and brash post-punks!

Keep your mind open.

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Sunset Images releases new single from upcoming album with Dedstrange Records.

DEDSTRANGE’S NEWEST ADDITION TO THE DEDSTRANGE FAMILY, MEXICO’S NOISE ROCK TRIO, SUNSET IMAGES

RELEASES THEIR SECOND SINGLE, “EL TIEMPO OSCILA Y MUERE AL INCIO (TOMMY)”, OFF OF THEIR UPCOMING ALBUM ‘OSCILADOR’ AND IT’S OUT NOW EVERYWHERE!!!

Sunset Images‘ “El Tiempo Oscila y Muere Al Inicio (Tommy)” is a sprawling, motorik dirge that explores humanity’s self-destruction. A bruised and distorted bassline throbs like a wounded soul, as hypnotic guitars swirl & feedback in the distance, conjuring visions of a world ravaged by toxic masculinity and patriarchy. This is a song about the abyss that awaits, how we cannot escape the passage of time & how it will ultimately consume us.

Out Now On Dedstrange.

PURCHASE THE SINGLE HERE

STREAM THE SINGLE HERE 

SUNSET IMAGES’ 

UPCOMING ALBUM

‘OSCILADOR’

OUT JANUARY 23RD, 2026

Noise-rock dissonant ferocity meets industrial mechanical precision.

‘Oscilador’ is a sound reflection of the perpetual cycle that rules our world’s history: birth, decay, chaos and resolution. Fueled by the collision of fractured synths, pulsating vocals, primitive drum beats and feedback-drenched guitars, creating an aural landscape that’s both disorienting and irresistible. Get ready to be consumed by Mexico City’s Sunset Images’ latest pursuit of sonic resistance. An album that’s brutal, raw and honest, yet accessible, chaotic and beautiful, like the world itself.

“Oscilador” will be out January 23rd 2026 on Dedstrange, record label owned by the visionary mind of the band “A Place to Bury Strangers” and FX pedal company “Death By Audio”

Pre-Order the Limited Edition Pink Vinyl now at your favorite local record store.

or

PRE ORDER ONLINE HERE

*** UPCOMING TOUR DATES ***

Sunset Images 2026 – New Colossus Festival

March – New York City, NY – United States

03.05 – Dedstrange Party

03.07 – Dedstrange Party

Sunset Images 2026 European & United Kingdom Tour

April

04.02 – St Leonard’s @ The Piper

04.03 – Leicester @ The International

04.04 – Cardiff @ Cardiff Psych & Noise Fest

04.09 – Todmorten @ TBD

04.10 – London @ Strongroom Bar

04.11 – Bristol @ The Crofters Rights

04.14 – Rouen @ Le 3 Pieces

04.15 – Rennes @ TBD

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Steven at Dedstrange.]

Top 25 concerts of 2025: #’s 15 – 11

More great live shows for you from last year! Who’s in the top half of the list?

#15: Johnny Jewel – September 25, 2025 – Levitation Austin, Austin, TX

Mr. Jewel opened for his own band, Desire, and, for my money, put on the best show of the night at the first day of Levitation Austin last year. It was a showcase of his film scores and covers of other film music ranging from his score to Drive to a David Lynch tribute and giallo-horror tracks.

#14: The Black Angels – September 28, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

The Black Angels always play Levitation. It’s their festival, after all. They help curate it. It was another fine set from them that included many tracks they don’t play often – one of the advantages of not having to promote a new album.

#13: Yin-Yin – September 27, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

These Dutch funk-rockers played their first gig in the U.S. ever at Levitation Austin last year and had the entire place jumping by the end of it. This was easily the grooviest show of the entire weekend, and everyone was buzzing the rest of the day afterwards.

#12: DITZ – June 27, 2025 – Levitation France – Angers, FR

This was blistering post-punk in a heat wave that had gripped almost the entire county. You can see the dust being kicked up from the mosh pit in that photo due to the arid conditions of the park in Angers where Levitation France took place last year. The lead singer had run off-stage, into the nearby lake, and returned covered in seaweed by the end.

#11: A Place to Bury Strangers – September 28, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

The Palmer Event Center in downtown Austin, where Levitation Austin took place last year, is a big venue…and it still wasn’t big enough to keep the volume of APTBS from flattening you as soon as you entered the place. Lead singer and guitarist Oliver Ackermann used the high ceiling to his delight by tossing his now-famous “half-guitar” sky high multiple times. Two friends who’d never seen them until now were left stunned by the end. “That’s like an assault,” my friend Wes said, wide-eyed and not knowing how else to describe it.

Who’s in the top ten? Come back tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 albums of 2025: #’s 15 – 11

We’re now halfway through my list of favorite albums from last year. Who’s here? Read on!

#15: Lammping – Never Never

Take a trip-hop duo (Lammping) and combine them with a Canadian rockabilly one-man-band who was described by John Waters as “Roy Orbison with a head injury” (Bloodshot Bill), and you get the neat Never Never EP. It sounds like something you’d find in a dusty record bin among “2000s Music – Misc.”, and is well-worth seeking out. It’s the first of four EPs from Lammping, so they’re off to a good start.

#14: King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island

Would it be a “best of” year list without a King Gizz album by now, since they release at least one album a year? Phantom Island combines the Aussie psych-rock / thrash metal / rave music giants with an orchestra because…why not? It’s a lush album with as much mystery as its cover.

#13: pôt-pot – Warsaw 480km

Here’s a post-punk band that emerged from seemingly nowhere to knock me back into my chair. “Damn, that’s good,” was my first thought after hearing it. I’m delighted that so many good post-punk bands are still appearing, and this is one of them.

#12: John Also Bennett – Ston Elaióna

This is a lovely ambient record mostly made of synths and field recordings John Also Bennett made around Greece. One song is inspired by the oldest known written song found on a stone pillar.

#11: Paddang – Lost in Lizardland

It’s a French psych-rock concept album about a future world dominated by evil lizard people and a lone heroine in the wasteland trying to defeat them. What more do you need to know?

Come back tomorrow to see who made the top ten!

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Melenas – Dias Raros (2020)

All-female Spanish psych-shoegaze? I’m all in.

Melenas‘ Dias Raros (Strange Days) gets off to a great start with “Primer Tiempo” (“First Time”) – a song that hums and buzzes (thanks in great part to synths and keyboards from members Oihana and Maria Melenas). “No Puedo Pensar” (“I Can’t Think”) hits the theme of the album – days when you’re questioning decisions and even if you should worry about them. Oihana’s guitar strumming on it is top-notch.

The soft reverbed vocals and guitars of “29 Grados” (“29 Degrees”) are outstanding. Laura Torres‘ drums on “Despertar” (“Wake Up”) will certainly shake the cobwebs out of your head…but be warned that the synths and psychedelic guitar effects might lull you back into dream land. “El Tiempo Ha Pasado” (“Time Has Passed”) has lovely vocal harmonies from Oihana and bassist Leire Melenas and beautiful church organ-like sounds from Maria.

“Los Anemales” (“The Animals”) brings in krautrock elements and shows how well the Melenas can pull off mantra-like beats and bass (Leire’s groove on it is slick.) and mix them with psych-rock riffs. “3 Segundos” (“3 Seconds”) is one of the best rockers on the record. Leire locks down the track with her heavy bass tone and Laura drives it like she’s racing through the Pyrenees. Meanwhile, Maria’s keyboards and Oihana’s guitar chase after you like wailing police cars.

“Ciencia Ficción” (“Science Fiction”) does this cool switch about halfway through it from krautrock riffing to Lindsey Buckingham-like guitar work. “En Madrid” (“In Madrid”) has this lush feel to it that reminds me of Dum Dum Girls tracks. “Ya No Es Verano” (“It’s Not Summer Anymore”) will go on your “End of Summer” playlist from now on, because it has a brightness to it but the vocals have you pining for the start of summer now that you were just in the groove of having fun in the sun.

The album ends with the Velvet Underground-inspired “Vals” (“Waltz”), a great way to send us off with almost a caress and hopeful dreams.

It’s a beautiful record that feels otherworldly at times. We’re all living in strange days. This album will help with that if you need it.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Skloss – The Pattern Speaks

You can interpret the cover of Skloss‘ debut album, The Pattern Speaks, in a couple different ways. Is the cover image light and matter being drawn into a black hole by its massive gravity well, or is it light and matter bursting from a void? Either option alters all reality around, within, and beyond it.

So does this album.

Husband and wife duo Karen Skloss (drums and main vocals) and Sandy Carson (guitars and backing vocals) create tremendous power that seems to change physics. Gravity feels heavier, colors look brighter, clouds move in strange patterns, trees loom larger, and sounds almost become solid masses. The opening title track is a reminder that patterns exist among the chaos of the universe. Knowledge is there for the taking if you give yourself the time to observe without judgement. The patterns will speak to you. The roar of the song shakes you like re-entry from orbit.

“Mind Hive” is almost the opposite. You’re not re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere – you’re leaving it. Carson’s guitar sounds like jet engines at multiple points in the song while Skloss’ echoing vocals are the thoughts in your mind sliding out and being left behind on the ground as your brain opens to the stars. On “Imagine 100 Dads,” Skloss puts lyrics aside for vocal sounds to create a hypnotic feel that leans the “cover image debate” toward the “It’s light emerging, not falling, from the void.” side…until the second half when Carson’s riffs are so big that they feel like they’re causing sinkholes under your house.

“Dead Bone” is your new favorite stoner / doom instrumental cut and might be the one that makes you think, “How is this just two people?” the most. “Snorkels Ask” mixes the sound of buzzing cicadas with angry hornet guitars. “Upper Attic” is just as fuzzy and suitable for a haunted house run by the ghosts of a metal band killed in a freak accident on Halloween. “Plugged into Jupiter” has us drifting around the giant planet, unsure if we’ll be able to escape its gravitational (guitar-induced) pull or if we’d be better off just hanging out for a while or maybe cruise along the surface of one of its moons.

Wrapping up with the heavy and haunting “Ghosts Are Entertaining” ends the album with another double-meaning. Are the ghosts entertaining guests, or are ghosts fun to watch in general? If it’s the former, then the sonic assault of the song makes you think that the ghosts are having a great time, but their guests might be terrified. If it’s the latter, then the fuzzy roar and cymbal crashes make us imagine we’re all thinking, “This is pretty damn cool.” while standing in the foyer of a haunted house as the ghosts rock out on a drum kit made of tombstones and a guitar made out of a cemetery gate.

So, what is the pattern? What is it telling us? Are we falling into a void or emerging from one? I’m still not sure. Skloss are able to pull us into the gravity well or slingshot us around the sun with equal skill. That might be the pattern: Two people, two instruments, two opposite yet equal forces creating one powerful record.

Remember the E.F. Hutton commercials of the 1970s and 1980s? Their slogan was, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” When The Pattern Speaks, people transform.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: The Limiñanas – Faded

French psych-rock / yé-yé enthusiasts The Limiñanas have returned with a new album, Faded, that includes an impressive lineup of friends helping them pay tribute to many forgotten (faded) film stars of a bygone era.

The opening track, “Spirale,” brings you back to smoky, sexy 1960s French nightclubs with simple, elegant piano tones and guitar fuzz. They team up with Primal Scream‘s Bobby Gillespie on “Prisoner of Beauty,” in which Gillespie sings about women being thrilled with the exotic worlds of modeling and film and later feeling trapped there as time takes its toll. Their team up with French actor / musician / composer Bertrand Belin on “J’adore le Monde” (“I Love the World.”) is a gritty, groovy rocker, as is “Shout” featuring another Frenchman, Rover. “Shout” moves back and forth between trippy verses and a sharp call-and-response chorus while Lionel Limiñana uses his guitar to create a weird atmosphere around you.

Penny joins the band on the title track, and her lovely vocals evoke memories of long-gone girl groups and classic country singers. Anna Jean‘s breathy vocals on “Catherine” will leave you wondering, “Catherine who?” and “Where can I find these women?” You can tell there’s a fascinating story here.

“The Dancer” is an instrumental tribute to Lionel and Marie Limiñana‘s friend frequent video collaborator Foulques de Boixo, known as “The Dancer” or “The Dancing Man” in so many of The Limiñanas’ music videos. Appropriately, it has a great beat from Marie that will have you dancing with de Boixo in spirit.

“Space Baby” is one of two collaborations with Jon Spencer and Pascal Comelade on the album and it has Spencer singing about a woman who’s so far out of his reach she might as well be in space. “Tu Viens, Marie?” (“Are You Coming, Marie?”) can be taken a few different ways. Does it refer to Marie Limiñana herself? That’s a good guess, as the vocals are back and forth between her and Lionel. Does it refer to a journey or something, ahem, else? I like the mystery of it, so I’ll leave it as such.

Their cover of “Louie Louie” is the type of cover only they could pull off, as they turn the weird garage rock classic into a whispered, yet loud, psychedelic freakout. The couple give us a tour of their house, and the stuff from all over the world throughout it, on “Autour de Chez Moi” (“Around My House”). Again, it seems like only they could perform a song like this, turning a walk-through of their place almost into a meditative mantra.

Mr. Spencer and Mr. Comelade return on “Degenerate Star” with Spencer singing about forgotten fame and how fast one can fall from the public eye when the next big thing appears (“All I’ve got is this picture, and your smell. Where did you go?…I was a star, the biggest, brightest star. Don’t you remember? Have you forgotten everything?”).

The album ends with their cover of Françoise Hardy‘s “Ou Va la Chance?” (“Where Does the Luck Go?”). Hardy was a yé-yé icon in the 1960s, who, like de Boixo, died in recent years. She often sang about heartbreak and missed opportunities for love, and the album fading out with a song written by her is a perfect way to end a record about fading stardom.

Faded is a lovely and groovy record that assures us that the Limiñanas aren’t fading just yet and that those who came before them will stay with us a while longer.

Keep your mind open.

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