THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...WYTCH PYCKNYCK – Wytch Pycknyck (Property Of The Lost)

Crawling out of the sewers of Hastings to feast on the carcass of mediocrity, Wytch Pycknyck go out of their way to defy convention and definition. The streetwise quartet (Malt Jones – guitar/vocals, Bonj – guitar/vocals, Ewan Fitzgerald – bass/synth/vocals and Sam Davies – drums) certainly don’t subscribe to the ‘less is more’ theory of life as they throw themselves in album opener, the self-explanatory ‘Rawkuss’, which comes with a kick-ass riff and all the restraint of a full-on riot. But if you’re then expecting more of the same you’d be mistaken, as ‘Creepin Jesus’ – wailing with feedback – goes all Stooges while ‘Magical Revenge’ slinks out of the garage like a hungry rat.

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There’s only seven songs here but they all display a different aspect of the Pycknyck boys’ arsenal. It’s lo-fi to the max, with the pick of the crop being the wonderfully anarchic ‘Fire Breathing Dragon’ – seven-and-a-half-minutes of Barrett-esque psychedelic stomp with a weirdly hypnotic synth drone, a hacking mid-section and a furious finale. The lengthy closer ‘Frostbite’ is a bit too hip hop for these ears – one for fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, certainly – but around the five minute mark it mutates into a different beast altogether as it takes off in a more metallic direction to space rock itself to its conclusion.

The world needs more bands like Wytch Pycknyck. It’s too easy to sit back in a bubble. Boundaries are there to be pushed, and these are the boys to do it. Just hope they don’t move into the apartment below yours...

Video clips:
‘Rawkuss’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxKOjbBgjks
‘Columbo No.5’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqf1yVraXHY