PSYMON SPINE
Saratoga Springs, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | INDIE
Music
Press
Their name might conjure up images of high-school biology class, but Saratoga Springs electro-meets-experimental-pop collective Psymon Spine sound more like a Friday-night dance — one where that’s lacking any wallflowers. Dropping their self-titled debut EP on May 19 via Axis Mundi Records, the sextet’s vibe is a hodgepodge of sonic styles: opener “Experience Machine” is a jubilant, guitar-driven romp with lush harmonies and an aggressively good-times agenda.
“Eric’s Basement & Secret Tunnels,” meanwhile, blends strobing digital effects with sweet, acoustic folk-pop and an echoing, Books-ish sample, and “Gears” quietly slips in with gentle, dissonant string-work. None of these textures ought to fit together, but Psymon Spine have a knack for fitting square pegs in round holes. - SPIN
Experimental pop outfit Psymon Spine isn't that crazy about what they see as the confining limitations of genres. For them, music is an all-inclusive thing—there are no delineations except for what we acknowledge. And even then, the rules are a little hazy. Their music displays a similar disregard for the concept of set guidelines and rigid borders; the music is equally subdued and cathartic, a mass of notes and tones bouncing off each other in random and transfixing patterns. There is an undercurrent of barely contained ferocity that sits just beneath the buzzing synths, gorgeous vocal interactions and orchestral flourishes. Their music is built on a foundation of opposites but never feels divided; rather, this dichotomy only strengthens their position as a band with a new and refreshing outlook on genre deconstruction.
On their new self-titled EP, the band wields this viewpoint and a rather remarkable creative sensibility with a vivid glee that's as infectious as it is unusual. Guitars are thrown against the studio walls, and folk pop tendencies are filtered through a collection of late '60s garage rock records. They also work in some electronic experimentation that balances out the more forthright acoustic patches—the band is nothing if not completely aware of how these sounds fit together and why there's an absolute need for breaking down the boundaries between genres. Music isn't meant to fit into easily categorized pieces, and Psymon Spine is more than willing to show you exactly how to break everything apart before meticulously piecing it back together. - Nooga
What does Psymon Spine reveal to us on ‘Eric’s Basement & Secret Tunnels‘ their shiny new single? According to well-worn cellar trope, someone creaks open open the foreboding door and inches their way down an iffy staircase. But in founding members Peter Spears and Noah Prebish’ version, dance beats fly up into into your face at a bat-out-of-hell clip and lavish vocal harmonies beckon from the darkness. Polished to a finespun gleam by Crystal Fighters’ Graham Dickson, Eric’s Basement pulsates with fuzzy synths and liquid string arrangements.
So where, dear reader, do those titular tunnels run to and from? Wending its way through the Western Hemisphere, Psymon Spine’s forthcoming self titled EP boasts tracks written on the five-piece band’s bi-coastal peregrinations in the US. To boot, they threw Mexico City and Costa Rico into the mix, resulting musically in loads of vaporous sweeps, swells of sidechained electro bass and female vocals at moments reminiscent of mid 90’s Stereolab. Once you’re acquainted with Eric’s Basement, you can mosey you way over to the open house tour on May 19th, when the EP’s slated to release via an Axis Mundi Records. - GoldFlakePaint
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Before Psymon Spine was more than a twinkle in the eye of founding members Peter Spears and Noah Prebish, and through a series of curiously well-timed events and questionable decisions, the two found themselves headlining a European tour during their first year of college. The band's first single, “Eric’s Basement & Secret Tunnels,” was written while in transit through Paris, and it was after their London show that Psymon Spine was offered their first record deal. Soon after that, Parisian imprint Kitsuné asked Psymon Spine to remix Is Tropical’s “Dancing Anymore” – and declared it their favorite mix of the track.
Over the next three years, the core of Psymon Spine expanded to include Devon Kilburn, Chris Beckett and Mike Rudinski, and a psychic connection was forged between Psymon Spine and Graham Dickson (of Crystal Fighters), the latter of whom would go on to produce the band's first EP and LP and sign them to his new NYC-based record label, Axis Mundi (Is Tropical, Drugzndreamz, etc).
The songs and artwork that make up the new Psymon Spine EP are extremely dualistic by nature, partnering fuzzy synths with lush vocal harmonies, fast dance beats with flowing string arrangements - this marked by the visual juxtaposition of washed-out water colors set behind aggressive, jagged lines. Despite an obvious gang mentality, there is almost no uniformity to the musical upbringings of Psymon Spine's many members, making the band an irreducibly complex machine. The new songs were written and recorded throughout North America (Brooklyn, Saratoga Springs, Boston, Southern California, Costa Rica, Mexico City, and Woodstock). Some are inspired by exotica and travel, others by what is familiar and sentimental. Their music is, metaphorically speaking, like a stroll through a rainforest at night with a safe place to return to. Beauty permeates, but there are 1000 ways to die around every corner. Peace and violence are interdependent, and while the full emotional spectrum resides within it, the end result is optimistic – like the euphoria that follows physical exhilaration.
Band Members
Links
