Floral Image - So Synthesised
As neo-psychedelic rock outfit Floral Image prepare for a 14 date UK tour, kicking off in Chelmsford on September 14th, their new four-track EP 'So Synthesised' proves just how far this band have progressed since Huw Stephens first played the demo of 'Subpoena' on BBC Radio 1 back in the Summer of 2019, and adding them to his 'Ones to Watch' list for 2020.
'So Synthesised' offers us the musical key to Floral Image's worlds of psychedelia and driving rock, with four summery tracks that simply demand to be heard whilst sitting in a field, surrounded by friends and wild flowers, with the sun beating down and the sweet smell of foraged mushrooms filling the air.
Opener 'Gallipoli' is formidable and tenacious, three and a half minutes of whooping synths, galloping railroad drumming and skidding guitars, all overlaid with transcendent vocals. With elements of Atomic Rooster and Black Sabbath jostling for attention, this is a 70's rock monster reawakened for 21st century ears.
'Babe and The Devil' was first released last November, and became my 'Best Song' nomination for Outline Magazine's Review of 2022. Filled with mystery and Eastern promise, its stomping riffs and prog-inspired grooves blend early Pink Floyd with, perhaps, shades of Kula Shaker. Either way, it takes off like a Jumbo jet, then carries you away on a spirtual plane of its own.
'Round and Round' is a semi-chilled slice of gentle rock, verging on easy listening, complete with a soft golden melody that is simply perfect for the mid-afternoon wind-down. Gently whispered vocals are layered atop a gentle rhythm, washing over you like the approach of a Summer sunset.
And finally, live favourite 'Voices' gets a seven and a half minute outing, with Technicolor landscapes providing a template onto which guitars, synths and drums build a masterful slice of summery psych pop-rock. It is a track that wears its influences on its sleeve, inspired by acts like Tame Impala and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, homaging the style and direction of Todd Rungren and Utopia, and yet remains unmistakably the sound of Floral Image.
With an intricately crafted palette of sounds, mood and colour, Floral Image have crafted a spectral collage in 'So Synthesised' that can provide the perfect musical backdrop to your own mystical, magic summer.
10/10
