Magic Shoppe - High Goodbye EP (Little Cloud Records)

I let these four new songs roil and burst in great, lysergic daydreams in my head. The band’s sound continues to evolve into a hammering wonder of drones, peaceful passages, and boot stompin’ psych blues. Shimmering, and wacked out fuzz tones pervade and elevate this Boston band’s spanking new EP, which arrived on June 9th. I always marvel at guitarist/vocalist’s Josiah Webb’s way with melody. Every song here is memorable and laced with killer hooks that will leave you wanting more! I always feel this way when I hear Magic Shoppe’s music; it’s a sign of an excellent band with a great tunesmith on board.

Witness the brutal push of the gorgeous opening track, “High Goodbye”. It contains all the typical hallmarks of trippy psychedelia: deep wells of percussion and bass, cool guitar effects, and reverbed vocals. I also enjoy the way it peels back to quieter tones before amping up again. A real gem of a song! “Lost in Space” is slower paced and falls back slightly to the group’s older tunes, reminding me briefly of Brian Jonestown Massacre. It has a majestic feel and sounds massive in my headphones.

“Her Ritual” inhabits a different sonic space, with pulsating waves of sound humming about like a pollen-drenched bee. Vocals are contributed by bassist Jeff Bartell, and all songwriting and arrangements were handled by drummer Tim Cushing. The vocals are pushed forward slightly, never overtaken by the mesmerizing play of guitars. The drums are also prominent, and I can hear interweaving guitar lines with Josiah and fellow string bender Tayler (no last name given). Very nice! “My Mind’s Eye” is a total stunner, kicking you in the head with some nasty grooves and jumping in with some incredible shoegaze riffs. A total mind warp! In summary, this is another terrific release from this young Boston band. Looking forward to many more from them.

Catch up with the band over on Facebook and pick up the EP over on their Bandcamp page.