Album Review: Bring On The Psychics by Quicksand
Album artwork for Bring On The Psychics by Quicksand
Walter Schreifels extending his Midas touch once more after a long line of proving what it’s like to be consistently one of the best to ever do it, Quicksand return with a revitalised sense of modern aggression mixed with 90s hardcore nostalgia across 10 tracks in their latest body of work, “Bring On The Psychics.”
Titled after a quote made famous by astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan, Quicksand experiment and throw their 90s roots into the fire along with modern shoegaze influences and the very genre they played a part in pioneering, post-hardcore, to create something that shouldn’t sound like Quicksand but undoubtably does. Their care in delivering something modern yet nostalgic, punchy yet groovy, tight yet free-flowing is a marvel that could only come from a band like this.
“Bring On The Psychics” in its short duration dives deep into the concept of looking back at the past and evaluating it through the lens of the present. The nostalgia is laid on thick in tracks like Moving Forward and Regenerate as Schreifels reflects on his time growing up within New York and beyond’s hardcore scene. Driving alt-rock power chord sections accompanied by Schreifels’s vocals whip you into a frenzy and have you singing along in no time. His experiences become yours. Reminiscing of unforgotten youth, Quicksand’s telling of the old school mentality within hardcore of unity is more relevant than ever and reframing their past as our present makes this record special. The relatability is off the charts and plays a key part in making “Bring On The Psychics” comforting and inspiring all the same.
Supercollider takes heavy influence from Jane’s Addiction bringing a real sense of groove that’ll have you making all sorts of bass faces complimented by Alan Cage on percussion striking an empathic balance between hitting the skins as hard as you can and ensuring every riff has the backing it needs to shine without burying them.
Tracks like Cool Guy pay tribute to the one guy in your scene that everyone knows who experiences a shred of clout in this old-fashioned would-be hardcore diss track. A callout to posers, mood killers and cool guys. Its anthemic chorus swings back and forth between shoegaze and grunge rock soundings creates a timeless factor much like the cool guy that has existed in everyone’s local scene.
Each line of “Bring On The Psychics” is conveyed with conviction and tells a story not short of emotional bearing. It can’t even be described as a return to form because regardless of the number of years that have passed since their last album, “Distant Populations” (2021), Quicksand continue to show why they were pioneers of post-hardcore and this record channels their early work and mirrors the album’s concept of viewing the past through a modern lens which is a really nice touch that ties the album together sonically and conceptually.
Walter’s other projects (Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today), bassist Sergio Vega being previously of Deftones, Alan Cage playing in Burn and Beyond, it is criminal that Quicksand do not receive the same appreciation as those bands but no impression is felt whatsoever at any point that the band themselves would even care. They aren’t here to compete, they’ve already shown they can lead. “Bring On The Psychics” tells a story that almost all of us within the hardcore scene have lived and it forms a warm-welcomed attachment to past and present hardcore kids. It’s a hard-check for those that ‘get it’ and those who don’t because those who ‘get it’ will know this story and the longer you’ve been around, the richer the listening experience of this album becomes.
FFO: Jane’s Addiction, Fugazi, Audioslave, My Bloody Valentine, Higher Power
SCORE: 9/10
Bring On The Psychics is out now on all streaming platforms, released via Rude Records.
