I HAVE no idea what "shyga" means or what a psychedelic porn crumpet is? Except it sounds intriguing and wild.
That's certainly true for Perth psych-rock band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets' fourth album Shyga! The Sunlight Mound.
PPC have developed a healthy fanbase across their albums - High Visceral, Pt. 1 (2016), High Visceral, Pt.2 (2017) and And Now For The Whatchamacallit (2019) - channeling a sound borrowed from InnerSpeaker-era Tame Impala, Pond and King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard.
PPC from the opening chord want to throttle their listeners with a sludge of psych-rock energy.
Shyga! The Sunlight Mound is a frenetic ride of distorted and reverb-heavy guitars and pounding drums, which delivers in spades for '70s classic rock idealists.
There no let down here. PPC from the opening chord want to throttle their listeners with a sludge of psych-rock energy.
When COVID-19 guaranteed the five-piece would be rooted at home for the foreseeable future, frontman and chief songwriter Jack McEwan opted to use the downtime to develop a fresh set of ideas.
McEwan has cited The Beatles, early Kings Of Leon and Nirvana as major influences for Shyga. While the Fab Four's Magical Mystery Tour period heavily contributed to PPC's overall sound, there is an extra level of grunt which borrows more closely from Muse or Royal Blood.
Mundungus Final 24 features a blistering garage riff and vocals reminiscent of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in their pomp and Mango Terrarium sounds like The Who dragged into Perth's fertile 2010s psych scene.
Shyga isn't a departure from the sound Psychedelic Porn Crumpets have successfully honed, but it's their most bombastic, yet playful, album to date.
4 stars
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
