While the West Coast has long been the bastion of this so-called California sound, so to (over the past two decades) has it been crowned as psychedelic rock central, along with Austin, Texas. Today we turn our attention to another California-based band – to San Francisco to be exact, although the band hail from Philadelphia originally. Come Friday everybody will be able to add this to their Spotify playlist, but already now, we offer you this sweet preview several days in advance.

Big Takeover is pleased to present the latest single ‘The After Glow’ from psychedelic rock legends The Asteroid No.4, a super slice of sonic goodness previewing their forthcoming album Northern Songs, to be released later this summer via a partnership with UK-based Cardinal Fuzz Records and Portland’s Little Cloud Records.

‘The After Glow’ is a ripe and fabulous offering from a band, whose output is always heavily anticipated. This is a hypnotic hybrid of several different genres filtered through the kaleidoscope of all-things psychedelic. This one is a sure-fire pleasure for fans of bands such as Wooden Shijps, The Warlocks, The Telescopes and Ringo Deathstarr, not to mention LSD & The Search for God, and The Black Angels.

The song flows like a gentle and expansive stream swimming in languorous guitar loops and hazy vocals. The copacetic atmosphere is peppered with brighter instrumentation, from the stately drum beat to blips of horns and overall sonic shimmer.

Formed in Philadelphia the 1990s and gradually relocated to California beginning in 2011, the band has undergone several line-up changes. For the last decade, the four-piece includes Scott Vitt (vocals, guitar), Eric Harms (guitar), Adam Weaver (drums, vocals) and Matty Rhodes (bass, vocals).

Northern Songs is the band’s tenth full length record, following up the Collide LP in 2018. On this new album, they did all writing, playing, recording, mixing and mastering in their own studio. This is the first time they’ve gone fully DIY since their fourth album An Amazing Dream (2006), where the band finally found their own trademark sound.

“This is a first for us as we’ve always had at least guest musicians or someone else mix or master. It was an experiment on what we could do ourselves and testing our new studio in San Rafael, CA for the first time. Our sound is primarily rooted in the British indie music from the ’80s and ’90s. This is the music we grew up on, we still listen to today, and what happens as a natural result of our songwriting,” says Scott Vitt.

Considered stalwarts of the modern ‘psych’ genre, they are known for their prolific discography of reverb-drenched recordings and liquid-projected live performances. With a sound all their own and neo-psychedelic / shoegaze learnings, they are often compared to acts like Spacemen 3 and Paisley Underground kingpins The Rain Parade.

“‘Northern Songs’ is a nod to us now being a Northern California band and finally settled in our new home and studio. Even with our past two albums, both released while we were CA residents, there was still a song or fragments that were carried from when we were still in Philadelphia. This is our first west coast record through and through,” says Scott Vitt.

“Lyrically there’s reference to what is happening both socially and politically in the world around us. We wanted to make an album that brought an air of calm or even nostalgia, to remind people that there was a time, not all that long ago, when things seemed way more normal compared to what we’re experiencing today.”

Known as a dynamic live act, The Asteroid No.4 integrate multi-textured guitars and reverb-drenched vocal harmonies over an unwavering rhythm section. Their prolific recording output has earned them a dedicated fan base within the flourishing underground psychedelic scene, with over a dozen compilation appearances, digital-only rarity releases, and multiple singles and EPs.

Named after Vesta, the brightest asteroid in our solar system, their moniker is an obvious nod to Spacemen 3, one of the band’s main influences. In fact, one of the group’s earliest recordings was a faithful cover of their ‘Losing Touch with My Mind’. Released via UK label Rocket Girl’s tribute compilation to the ’80s legends, Pete ‘Sonic Boom’ Kember himself named the song as a stand-out track in an interview with Magnet Magazine.

As of June 19, ‘The After Glow’ will be available digitally online and will be available directly from the band at Bandcamp. The first single ‘Northern Soul’ from this forthcoming album is already available via tat same link.

Also soak up the brilliance of “Northern Song”

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