This Austin, TX fuzz collective offers up a terrific blend of noise pop and 90s psych. Good Time is the band’s debut full length, and it was produced by The Black Angels’ Alex Maas and engineered by James Petralli of White Denim. The band formed right on top of the pandemic in the spring of ‘20 and offered them the kind of escape not available to many. According to Alex Capistran (guitar/vocals), “To us, these songs were a glimmer of light”.
Opening track ‘Star Starter’ may be the best single I’ve heard all year, and I dare you not to get up and dance. I am not sure what the title ‘LMN BB LMN’ means, but the song is hypnotic and rather groovy. The band definitely is dialled in to the darker side of psych, but offer it up with sunny melodies, exactly the sort of music I latch onto.
‘Repeater’ reminds me in spots of The Pixies, mostly due to Misti Hamrick (bass) sounding a bit like Kim Deal. It has an enchanting melody twining through the heavy backdrop and the combination is great. ‘Tracemaker’ has that loud/soft thing going on, and it is something I enjoy about this genre. DAIISTAR mines this for all it’s worth, and make it their own! ‘Purified’ could easily be linked to The Brian Jonestown Massacre, as it trots out that smooth blend of psych and heavy rock that the latter favours on most releases.
‘Say It To Me’ is akin to the great wave of 90s psych offered up by the Brits, with a wonderful main melody and sweet harmony vocals. ‘Parallel’ should be another single, trippy and insanely catchy. Head-bobbing music for sure! ‘Speed Jesus’ follows on in similar fashion, motored on by a percolating synth line. ‘Velvet Reality’ is spacey dream pop, reminding me for some reason of Twin Peaks and Julee Cruise. It is a cool way to close tha album, and may hint at a future direction for this talented group. Highly recommended for all fans of sunshine pop, psych, and dream pop.
