RSS

Coming up on my third time seeing Justice live on their current tour, I can’t say I was expecting any surprises or anything short of a great show with great music. The first two times, once at Festival Beauregard last July and once in Boston that following August, were fantastic if a bit underwhelming. Their previous live tour and resulting live album from almost 7 years ago, Woman Worldwide, is one of my favorite albums of all time. So, this current tour for the French duo’s latest album Hyperdrama had some pretty big shoes to fill. Worldwide boasts “10 years of Justice Mixed and Remixed” on the vinyl’s obi strip, reinforcing the idea of this record being more than just a live album. It was a celebration of the hard work and talent that members Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay had put in all the way since their debut album ✝ (which I will just be referring to as Cross going forward), and from the stage design to the remixes of old and new I found it to be a perfect 10/10. Now, as I was getting ready to see their updated live show (with a brand new encore they debuted last fall), I was anxious to see for myself how they could possibly top Worldwide as the best Justice live performance.

 

You may be familiar with Justice through their biggest hit, “D.A.N.C.E.,” or their recent collabs with artists like Tame Impala, The Weeknd, or Thundercat. Having been a part of the late 2000s to early 2010s movement now referred to as “indie sleaze”, Justice made it big on the scene with their 2007 debut album Cross, an immaculate collection of distorted, crunchy synths found on tracks like “Waters of Nazareth” and “Let There Be Light” and larger-than-life electro-rock anthems like “Genesis” and “DVNO”. Their following albums would take on a wide range of aesthetics, from the expansive rock opera of their sophomore Audio Video Disco to the glittery disco/synthpop odyssey found in their third album, Woman. 

 

After the Woman Worldwide tour concluded, Justice would go on hiatus for a number of years, only really putting out re-releases and anniversary editions of their older work. But towards the end of 2023, French DJ Madeon played an at the time unreleased track by Justice. This track would end up being the lead single “Generator”. Named after the RaveGenerator virtual synthesizer  (from which most of its sounds stem), it harkens back to Justice’s more aggressive style we all thought would be left in 2007 with the rest of their Cross-era catalog. But thankfully, the duo blessed us with some brand-new razor-sharp bangers right at the start of 2024. Alongside “Generator”, the song “One Night/All Night” was released as the first of their two collaborations with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. It makes perfect use of Parker’s vocals and creates this perfectly festival-ready electronic-disco fusion the likes of which we certainly needed after so much time without Justice. 

 

These two tracks set the bar incredibly high for what would be their fourth studio album, titled Hyperdrama. Both of them gave the impression that Justice would be bringing the bowel-scraping bass of Cross and the polished, sleek disco of Woman together to create the ultimate Justice record. Two more singles will be released, following the same energy and feeling with “Incognito” and then pivoting to a slower pop/rock feeling with the final single, “Saturnine” featuring Miguel. And finally, on April 26th, 2024, Justice would release their highly anticipated fourth studio album.

It was alright, at least on my first listen. I had stayed up all night waiting, and when I finally listened, it was… okay. The only real problem I had with this record is that Justice made the decision to release most of the best tracks as singles. So yes, this is a great album, but on my first listen after effectively cementing all of the singles into my brain, I was a little underwhelmed. The opening track “Neverender” with Tame Impala was pretty good, as well as the rest of the new tracks like “Mannequin Love” with The Flints and “The End” with Thundercat, but they weren’t as hardcore as Generator and kind of made the singles feel more like outliers rather than glimpses into what the rest of the album would be, or what kind of feeling it would carry. Still good, just not entirely what I had hoped for. 

 

But after a year of having this album on loop, and having seen many of these new tracks live, I can now confidently say that Hyperdrama is one of the best Justice albums, and a welcome addition to their ever-growing catalogue. It took a couple of listens, but I think this is a fantastic album and just needed some getting used to. And now, I was ready to see it live for the final time before Justice’s latest tour concludes, presumably this year. 

 

Having seen this show twice already, I wanted to take extra steps to make this experience more special for myself. Number one, I wanted to get a front-row spot and be as close to the show as possible. I’ve seen this show from both the balcony and the middle of a French mosh pit, so I figured the next best spot would be right up front. Number two, I wanted to get something signed. Having seen pictures and videos of the band signing stuff for people up front after each show, I figured if I got front row and brought something eye-catching to sign, I had a reasonable chance at getting signatures from both band members. I landed on bringing my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface. It’s a bright red metal box with mic inputs and knobs galore, so I figured if I taped some paper to the top or something I could get it signed. 

 

Doors open at 7, so I did some quick math and decided to show up at 2:30. I walked around for an hour to stretch my legs and grab a hefty lunch, knowing that once I got to that railing I would remain there until I saw Gaspard and Xavier walk off stage for the night. I got to the line at around 3:30ish and saw that there were 5-6 people already ahead of me. Why anyone would show up to a concert so early is beyond me, but I took my spot at the back (for now) and popped my earbuds in. I was kindly gifted some pins and stickers from a few people, and made some conversation with the people around me about how many times we had seen the show, or how we had managed to get time off work for an event that would be around 70% just standing around and waiting. At one point, they did the sound check, which was just a recording of the first two songs of the set.

 

At around 6:45, someone stood up and started walking towards the front. At this point, everyone was kind of sitting down against the wall, but the mere notion that it was time to claim your spot in line sent everyone into a frenzy. Everyone immediately stood up and stampeded towards the front of the line. I fortunately got close to the front, but the number of people in front of me, combined with the possibility of having to take extra time to explain why I had a suspicious red box covered in buttons and switches to security, worried me about my chances of getting to the front. I mentally prepared myself for having to fight tooth and nail to get up there.

The floodgates opened at 7, and I managed to breeze through scanning/security. After getting into the then-empty stadium, I speed-walked across right to the front where I parked my stuff, gripped the rail with both arms, and fully intended to hold on as tight as humanly possible, no matter how much moshing, pushing, or biting I’d potentially have to endure until the show was over. 

 

After around an hour or so of waiting, we were graced with Tiga’s opening set. The set was overall pretty good, and it kept me and many others moving for a good 45-60 minutes. It was nice to see the crowd getting into it with the remix of MGMT’s “Kids” towards the end. I saw for the first time the whole waving-phone-flashlight thing for an opening set, which didn’t even happen for Braxe + Falcon’s opening set for Justice in Boston.

 

After Tiga’s performance ended and the crew took apart his setup, did the lighting and equipment checks, and dimmed the lights, we waited anxiously for the two sharply-dressed Frenchmen to show their faces. They walked on stage in total darkness, took their positions and kicked off the show.

 

 

A massive glowing cross emerged from the back of the stage, towering over everyone in the crowd and accompanied by the grandiose horns of the opening to “Genesis”. This live version of the iconic first track of Cross features a more chopped-up bassline as well as a few samples from “Generator” dotted around, and, similar to Woman Worldwide, this version is mashed up with the track “Phantom”. It transitions into “Generator”, which might possibly be the only track on their setlist powerful enough to successfully follow up that titan of an opener. 

 

At this point in the show, the visuals have been pretty standard. A massive setup on the back wall of the stage houses these massive, thin poles of light, as well as 12 massive screens arranged in a diamond formation. These fixtures are what were used for the opening in addition to the moving head lights placed around the floor of the stage. But midway through “Generator”, with the band illuminated by one light-pole in the center, we see three more fixtures light up on the ceiling and slowly descend to the point where they are directly over the duo’s heads. They remain in this position for the rest of the track, and are later joined by ELEVEN more. By the final drop, the duo have not only put a very expensive ceiling over their heads but also introduced a dynamic, moving light system. 

 

 

This complex system of lights before us isn’t fully revealed until the intro of the next track, “Mannequin Love”. Everything slowly illuminates as the outline of the individual screens on the light fixtures, as well as the backing lights, are highlighted with a blue glow like something out of a TRON film. The visuals here, combined with the pivot away from the massive distorted basslines, consist of each component of the light setup flashing golden orange. The outro sees the return of the Cross track “The Party”, which hasn’t been played live since their first tour fifteen years ago.

 

 

Transitioning into “One Night/All Night”, one final trick in the lighting system is shown. It’s revealed that each light on the moving fixtures can rotate, revealing a mirror on one of their three sides. At the same time, the twelve screens behind the duo have a thick, reflective border to match. After the mirrors (and consequently, our eyes) get a good dosage of strobing rainbow lights, we transition to “Safe and Sound” off of Justice’s third album, Woman. The first half of this new live version is a sleek combination of choir vocals, smooth strings, and catchy disco grooves found all over this 2016-2018 era of Justice’s career. Midway through, a new component of the live version of this track is introduced. Justice plays a short, high-energy megamix of a ton of old remixes they did for groups like ZZT and MGMT, along with brief snippets of “Phantom”, “DVNO”, and “D.A.N.C.E.”. 

 

And then we get to arguably one of the best parts of the show, both in terms of visuals and music. The star of the new album, “Neverender”. This track just oozes glamour, featuring downright angelic vocals from Tame Impala and spacey, silky smooth production that only the likes of Gaspard and Xavier could conjure for us. And the visuals are just on a whole other level. If “Mannequin Love” and “One Night/All Night” reveal Justice’s hand in terms of how much visual firepower we’re working with, “Neverender” smacks us across the face with it at full force. For the first time in this entire show, nearly every visual component pulls together to create this cosmic, starry environment that feels like plunging headfirst into an imploding galaxy. The light fixtures spread out and arrange themselves in a kind of fan-like formation, with rapidly cycling pinprick lights of white and gold sparking to the beat as the screens and poles in the back following suit. Every cable or piece of metal scaffolding just absolutely melts away as we’re presented with this divine space opera that fully immerses us in this small pocket of infinity. 

 

And this is still just around 30 minutes into the show. There’s so much more that is offered to us, but in the interest of not spoiling the entire show in every way possible, I’ll just go over the highlights of the rest of my night. “Neverender” transitions into “Canon” off of Audio, Video Disco, then into “Incognito”. This one was extra special, because one of the mirrors on the light fixtures was angled in a way that reflected straight down, allowing myself and a few people around me to see Xavier from a top-down angle mixing and performing the song live. Sick. 

 

 

“Incognito” transitions into the new live version of “Stress”, which is as expected, stressful. This has been one of the longest mainstays of Justice’s live shows, characterized by harsh strings, strobing red lights, and basically every rotating light spinning at once in a kind of drunken loop. They didn’t play the extended version like they did in Boston, but it makes sense that they’d need to save time for the new encore. Bathing the arena in a deep crimson, this track both visually and sonically feels like one of the more unique additions to Justice’s live catalogue. 

 

Moving on, the show gets kicked into overdrive with the tracks “Afterimage”, then “Chorus”. Embodying a more gabber-y, fast-paced set of tracks that had so much strobing that I genuinely could not get any good footage at this point. “Chorus” then transitions to a personal favourite, “Audio, Video Disco”. This one felt extra special, since a camera feed of the crowd was used as part of the visuals. Not something I’ve seen or even expected for this show before, so it was a great addition and a nice surprise. We see the return of the space/star effects from “Neverender”, but at a slower pace, so the crowd has time to deplete their batteries by waving their phone flashlights around. Great stuff. 

 

And then the lights go out again, and we’re left waiting for the encore. For me, this is the make-or-break moment for any Justice set, to see if it can live up to the masterpiece that is Woman Worldwide. 

 

I would consider this encore to be a make rather than break moment. Right off the bat, the encore kicks off with the menacing opening piano progression of “Planisphere”, one of Justice’s best-ever tracks from the Audio, Video, Disco era that is only now getting the proper live treatment. We then hear chopped-up samples from Phantom, and the medieval-sounding arpeggio from “Heavy Metal”. On top of that, snippets and vocals from classic Justice tracks like “Civilization” and “Helix” are thrown into the mix and cement this first act of the encore as Woman Worldwide-tier work. It transitions into a reprise of “Mannequin Love”, mashed up with tracks from Woman, including “Pleasure” and “Fire”. All the while, the light fixtures are going haywire, with the rotating mirrors giving these vertical swiping motions as the floor lights are reflected out across the audience. Then, the fixtures reposition and bring back the glittery star-like visuals from “Neverender”. 

 

 

As this absolute weapon of a megamix transitions into “Phantom, Pt. II”, I’m left awestruck as the light fixtures reposition around the center of the stage, creating ample room for the massive glowing cross to return. The vocals of “We Are Your Friends”, one of the band’s earliest hits, is mixed in with “Phantom II” the same way it always has been in past live shows, to the point where these two tracks might as well gain synonymy with how well they fit together. 

 

The final track that blessed our ears tonight was D.A.N.C.E., mashed up with Safe and Sound and Neverender to create an absolutely legendary finale with killer visuals to boot. And as the duo walked off while “The End” played in the background (cigarettes somehow already in hand), I firmly believed that Justice had put on a show as good as (if not better than) their last. This was a show for new and old fans alike, and, as far as I’m concerned, that’s the best kind of show.

 

After they strutted off with some flags gifted by fans over their shoulders (Xavier wearing a pride flag while Gaspard donning a Quebec flag), both members came out and began signing stuff. This was it. The moment of truth. I held out my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface and Sharpie, hoping one of their cigarette-wielding hands would grab it. Xavier signed it first, then Gaspard. I thanked them both, and after they left, I was on my merry way to pick up my t-shirt. 

 

So, as I sat on the metro on the way back to my apartment, I made a mental checklist and status report of my evening.

 

Best seats in the house? Check

 

Autographs? Check

 

Faith restored in my favourite band? Check

 

I encourage everyone to go see this show before their tour concludes. If not, check out the videos on their YouTube channel or some full set recordings on YouTube. Or listen to the live album they’ll eventually put out, like with the last three tours. Justice’s “Hyperdrama” live show is not one to be missed.

Here I am, in the BAnQ Library, typing on a public computer after what felt like an unforgettable night. Last night, I wandered through the Plateau, from Parc La Fontaine to La Banquise, then down Duluth Street at 1 am, beneath a heavy cumulonimbus sky, blasting The Ophelias on my busted JBL speaker, trying to gather my thoughts together about their music. 

Throughout, I kept asking myself, Who are these people? What makes them special to me and to you, the reader?

The truth is… I don’t know what would make them special to you. I only know what makes them special to me.

The Ophelias evoke a deep, guttural melancholy in me. When I listen to them, I feel sad. I feel the ache of loss. This isn’t cherry pop music. No, If you want to write an Ophelia’s song, here’s how you do it:

Step one: Break up with your girlfriend (also works if your girlfriend breaks up with you)

Step two: Grab a notebook and write down every thought that crosses your mind at 2 am

Step there: Set those words to a slow, melancholic melody.

And there, you have an Ophelia’s song.

Their music doesn't follow the polished structure of verse-chorus-verse. It feels more like a stream of consciousness. Like pages torn from a diary written after a heartbreak. Like a letter you’ll never send. Their lyrics touch on different emotions and memories from line to line, without warning.

Take "cumulonimbus", my favourite song. It’s a track that feels like a quiet storm, a reflection on a past relationship that, while destined to end, still hurts deeply:

“The memories you locked into the trunk of the car”

“The things that I didn’t say are always going to hang above you like a cumulonimbus”

“Expecting everything to work out on the other end”

These lyrics capture a particular flavour of young adult grief, which is the fear of having wasted time, the ache of unspoken words, the strange anticipation that everything will resolve itself, even when it won’t. The song floats between regret and resignation, confusion and clarity. It is both a goodbye and a what-could-have-been.

The beauty of The Ophelias lies in the way they give voice to the quiet chaos of becoming. Their songs feel like wishes, things we all wish we had done, wish we had said, people we wish we were. There’s a nostalgia embedded in their music, a longing not just for the past, but for the very present you're still in. A feeling of missing the moment before it’s even done.

Another standout for me is "Cicada", a song soaked in eerie self-reflection:

“You successfully receded / From the surface recognition / But even though I don't know what you look like in the present tense / The feeling of you haunts me…”

“Ten thousand cicadas descend on Cincinnati”

It reads like someone trying to erase a ghost from their memory, only to find the ghost is themself.

And then there’s Open sky, a quiet post-breakup conversation with someone you used to love. The track feels like standing under an empty sky, trying to say all the things you never said when it mattered. Bitterness, resignation, and a weird calmness intertwine in the lyrics. Like many of The Ophelia's songs, it lingers.

I’m a 23-year-old Nigerian Montrealer. I don’t imagine The Ophelias wrote these songs for me. And maybe that’s exactly the point.

That’s what makes them special to me, the Universality in the specific.

The feeling of being lost. The ache of dreams that no longer fit. The sweetness of being young and “on our way,” even when we don’t know where we’re going. These are themes that transcend background, geography, or experience.

Listening to The Ophelias is like listening to your own inner monologue, but better written. They put words to thoughts we’ve only half-formed. They make emotions audible. They turn confusion into poetry, reminding us that others have felt like this before and survived it.

Spencer Peppet’s, the lead singer, has a voice that's soft and calm, like someone soothing you as you cry. Her voice echoes that empty, drifting feeling when nothing makes sense. Together, their sound is not just music; it’s a mirror that reflects us in all our grainy, post-breakup self-loathing.

Maybe I’m projecting. Maybe I’m not, who knows, who cares. But in a world that often feels too big, too fast, too unknowable, The Ophelias remind me that I’m not alone in my uncertainty.

So here I am, under another cumulonimbus sky, listening and writing.

Support your local libraries. Support your small artists. And if you’re feeling lost, like me, maybe listen to The Ophelias.

You probably won't find yourself, but you'll have a new favourite artist.

If you were to take Morrissey’s crooning vocals infused with the rhythm of The Cure and The La’s’ piercing optimism, you’d be left with the nostalgic sound of The Kooks.

The British indie-rock band first charged into the music scene in 2006 when their debut album Inside In / Inside Out reached No. 2 on the UK charts. Through several proceeding records and over 1,400 live shows worldwide, the group’s members evolved - but in 2025, frontman Luke Pritchard and guitarist Hugh Harris remain the foundation of The Kooks. 

Never/Know not only marked the band’s seventh studio album, but also a triumphant return to their roots. During the last 20 years, their music has evolved from acoustic melodies to quirky lyricism and even dipped into the more electronic side of Brit-Pop. The recent May 9th album Never/Know takes listeners back to the band's early days, and pledges itself to their authenticity and hope. 

Montreal’s MTELUS was the gifted the pleasure of being the first stop on the North American leg of the All Over The World Tour that embarked on May 27th. Prior to the show, I had the pleasure of sitting down with The Kooks’ lead vocalist. 

Pritchard, whose work on the band’s most recent record expanded to new lengths, spoke about their evolution through sound and the authenticity they’ve found in the creative process: “So you know, I produced it myself and that was a new challenge.” It was clear such a challenge truly fueled the chemistry that erupted within the group, both on the record and on stage. Prichard went on to say, “I just wanted to capture us as a band as much as I could, and leave in the kind of a bit of danger in terms of like, you know, it's not perfect, and it's not done highly meticulously on computers, you know, it's a recorded record…it was just about stripping everything back again.” 

Going back to the basics with Never/Know left the group with more room to explore what had been waiting for them all those years ago. Their eccentric creativity, coupled with what Pritchard described as a “lightning bolt” new concept, left the band off to the races with creating this brand new, old, record. 

Their return to the stage stood as a testament to The Kooks’ artistic discoveries, as they lit up the Montreal venue with powerful charisma and truthful presence. 

To launch the night towards its trajectory, an eager audience was greeted by the lovely duo, lovelytheband. Lead vocalist Mitchy Collins and guitar and keyboardist Jordan Greenwald, 

kicked off with a handful of softened, stripped-down tunes, including their rendition of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”. While Collins confessed that their acoustic set was the unfortunate result of their tour bus getting stopped at the border, the reward for their crises was an earnest, intimate moment shared with the audience. As they played their radio hit, “Broken”, Collins’ vocals echoed seamlessly against listeners’ unplanned singsong of the track's catchy hook, “I like that you’re broken, broken like me, maybe that makes me a fool.” 

 

Soon after their departure, the stage re-lit with the roaring presence of Pritchard and Harris, alongside touring musicians Jonathan Harvey and Alexis Nuñez. Pritchard’s electric energy as he jumped up to the front of the stage shot the night into greatness as the audience erupted with matched excitement. 

Such cheers and hollers soon became a harmony of sung-back choruses. “Ooh La” set the venue in a warm summer air while “Sunny Baby” rolled the windows down on the convertible that coasted through the blistering heat. The positivity Pritchard had spoken of during our conversation oozed from the group's performance, even amidst the more intimate tracks.   

A keyboard was dragged on stage for Pritchard, who moved into “See Me Now” from their 2014 album, Listen. The piano ballad pulled at the heartstrings as childhood footage of the singer and his late father played in the background. Even through lyrics as vulnerable as, “If you could see me now, if you could see my smile, see your little boy, would you be proud?”, Prichard's hope stood strong. 

As a man whose dad passed away when he was just 3 years old, his recent fatherhood seems to have deeply influenced the nuances of his artistry: “I had this kind of, you know, epiphany of how much time I actually had with my dad. And that was quite joyous. It was emotional, but quite joyous.” In his performance, his hardship was evident, but the sense of promise Pritchard pulls out from deep within is what truly gives this show strength. 

As he cheerily boogied his way through “Westside”, Pritchard reached down to pluck a rose from an audience member, which he slid under the strings of his guitar. The singer’s notion of the album, “refining the identity of what we are”, was captured in the nostalgic rhythms and acoustic strums that brought the audience back to the band's earlier work. 

Time seemed to fly by with angsty alt-rock tracks like “Sweet Emotion” and "Compass Will Fracture,” and the audience ate up every last bite of this trip back down memory lane. 

With “Junk of the Heart”, The Kooks’ set came to a close, but the audience was not ready to let go just yet. Their vibrating stomps and guttural rendition of the football chant “Olé, Olé", lured the band back for an encore, where the much-awaited hit, “Naive”, was sung. 

By all accounts, the sound that emerged into success 20 years ago has stood the test of time. The chemistry that exudes from the music of the Kooks exemplifies the strength of the relationship between Luke Pritchard and Hugh Harris. 

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Pritchard and his team for taking the time to dive deeper into his artistry and The Kook’s timeless career. 

Make sure to follow along with the bands' upcoming tour dates, surely their time capsule journey is only just beginning.

Since the teaser of an EP they released on March 27th, I have been impatiently waiting for Psychedelic Porn Crumpets to release their seventh studio album, Carpe Diem, Moonman. It was finally released on May 15th, and it is every bit as good as I was expecting. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets’s Carpe Diem, Moonman remains true to the band’s reputation of combining brain-scratching guitar riffs and low-pitched screams with deep and profound lyrics that make you question society and the meaning of the universe. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are one of the defining bands from Australia’s psychedelic rock revival of the mid 2010s, contributing to the creation of a completely unique genre of psychedelic rock that also has so much musical range it almost can’t be confined to just one genre. While I would argue that their whole discography fits this description, this new album not only met the expectation of quality set by their previous albums, but completely surpassed it. 

The album ranges from songs that make you want to throw yourself into a mosh pit and give yourself whiplash to softer tunes that make you want to close your eyes and sway with the melody. This variety of music within one album is not at all out of line with the band’s style, and the order of songs gives you a bit of back and forth between the two different energies. When listening to the album all the way through, I felt like I was having an existential crisis while falling into a kaleidoscope and loving every second of it. 

The album starts off strong with “Another Reincarnation” followed by “March on for Pax Ramona”, both high-energy songs that I just know will be instigating wild mosh pits and crowd surfers at their shows. The lead singer, Jack McEwan, delivers the dramatic lyrics of the first song with his out-of-breath screaming, which is punctuated throughout “Another Reincarnation” by the way his voice shifts into a softer tone (but a higher pitch) at either the beginning or the end of a verse. The strident guitars, hard and fast bass, and of course, the rolling drums that bring it all together make it the perfect introduction to the rest of the album. Then, “March on for Pax Ramona” uses brain-scratching guitar riffs and thundering drums, creating intense instrumental buildups that abruptly fade into a background tempo when the lyrics come in. The verses are spoken rather than sung, McEwan’s voice fuses with a distorted echo, amplifying the sheer weirdness of the lyrics as they build into the explosive screaming of the chorus. I can already feel the flailing limbs that are going to hit me in the face during that song in concert. 

The next song, “Qwik Maff”, is drastically toned down, featuring acoustic guitar and prominent keyboards. It follows the style of some of the more “chill” songs off their previous albums (e.g. “Coffee” from High Visceral, Pt. 2), with soft vocals and dreamy, almost ambient instrumentals. The album then picks back up on its original pace with “Weird World Awoke”, an energetic, fast-paced song that is simultaneously a headbanger as well as a powerful social critique. It makes you want to jump around and scream along, but also sit back and be consumed by the lyrics – or somehow both at the same time. This was the first song on the EP that dropped in March, and I have been obsessed with it since. Following this sensory overload, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets then return to their softer, dreamy sound with “As the Hummingbird Hovers” and “Scapegoat”, in which the vocals completely blend into the music leaving lots of space for the instrumental breaks to evoke a sort of floating surrealism. 

After jumping between these two distinct sounds in the album, “Incubator (V2000)” brings the two together with its harsh, raw guitar, drums and screaming chorus along with some twinkling keyboard and acoustic guitar sprinkled in, making it sound both dreamy and fierce at the same time. It is followed by “Winter in Parachutes”, a gentle acoustic song good for swaying and daydreaming. The next track, “Out the Universe Pours”, exemplifies the range of this album once more. The heavy, grating intensity of the electric and percussive, in tandem with the light, floaty sound of the acoustic, seemingly pulls your mind into a different dimension. The album ends with “Concrete & Cola”, a six-minute song with an intro that gives the impression that it will turn into one of their more intense songs, but deceivingly ends up being a smooth, peaceful tune that ends with about 40 seconds of cute chirping bird noises. This closing track makes for a wholesome outro to Carpe Diem, Moonman, especially in contrast to the album’s harsh beginning.

To attempt to sum it up, Carpe Diem, Moonman is a complete trip of an album. With its musical and emotional range and the way that it moves between completely different energies throughout the album, Carpe Diem, Moonman has something for everyone. If you’re the type of person who likes to analyze lyrics and look for deeper meanings and social criticism, this is definitely the album for you. If you just like to blast music and get lost in your own head, this album does that too. I highly recommend this album for anyone who is a fan of indie and/or psychedelic rock. Or just anyone who will listen to me, really.

Oshra is the host of On The Right Track, an electronic music exposition every Sunday 10-11pm