The New Wave Psychedelia Is a Trip: The 60s Reincarnated

Time Machine: How Psychedelia is Being Reincarnated into Modern Music

The groovy sounds of the 60s made it back into our speakers and ears. Hazy synthesizers, echoing voices, kaleidoscope backdrops, peace and love make up the new psychedelic rock wave that has taken the past decade by storm.

We found the top 4 bands living in the new psychedelia, and are bringing them to you. Mainstream and underground, this movement is all around. Check out these far-out artists:

The influences: psychedelic rock bands of the 60s and 70s

Temples

This four-piece group emerged from a small English town called Kettering, and sold out venues before they even first performed together. They may be brand new, but this band attract an audience that spans the generations: youngsters experiencing psychedelia for the first time and older heads taking a trip back 20 years.

Masters of 60s vintage pop... Temples

They capture the essence of the 60s down to the details. On the records, Temples have an almost airy and dreamy quality, but live they venture into borderline heavy acid-punk territory. Their image is iconic. They emulate the sounds of the 60s. They have the talent, and what more can you want?

Reminiscent of LSD much?

Temples truly brings back the 60s psychedelia with their image. Just looking at a picture, nobody could tell whether they were going to the club or the disco. You can't deny the evidence. Singer James Bagshaw is a straight reincarnation of T. Rex's Marc Bolan:

Listen to Temples' new single "Certainty" here, which is currently out now on iTunes and Spotify.

Tame Impala

Tame Impala is the psychedelic gem of Australia, and continues to win awards and nominatios for their psychedelic inspired records. Like many others, Tame Impala's sound channels the early Beatles, and it's no surprise that "Strawberry Fields" could fit nicely into their album Lonerism. 

Bringing psych-rock mainstream

Their own website describes them as “the movement in Orion's nebula and the slime from a snail journeying across a footpath,” belonging to the genre of “psychedelic hypno-groove melodic rock.” Their words, not mine.

Check out Tame Impala's song Elephant here:

Foxygen

These California sweethearts could have been the original flower children and nobody would have known a difference. They embody the entire hippy movement in one duo, flower crowns and all. Foxygen is highly influenced by avant-garde and psychedelic music, and shows it in their highly experimental music style. 

The band has gained a reputation for its unhinged live shows and maniacal behavior of lead singer France. They expanded in 2014 for their recent album's tour to a 9-piece band complete with back up dancers and additional singers.

We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic

Listen to their dreamy sound here with "San Francisco," but be sure to check out other icons like "Cosmic Vibrations" and "Shuggie": 

MGMT

MGMT has already broken through into the mainstream with hits like "Electric Feel" and "Kids," but not everyone is familiar with their more experimental material. MGMT have been called "theatrical glam rockers", "space rock nutters" and even - by NME - "makers of alien music". They describe themselves as making "future 70s music," which is not far from the others. 

Hello you young psychedelic souls... MGMT

Brooklyn band MGMT takes on the classic role of drug-fueled deviants, even if they may not be as hard as they seem. Van Wyngarden thinks people accuse them of being "wild druggies" just because their 30-second iTunes preview for the hit song "Kids" includes references to heroin, cocaine, and profanities. However, the band still talks frequently about use of LSD and magic mushrooms during their musical studies at Wesleyan University.

Raise your hands if you are on drugs

For their 60s psychedelic reincarnation, just listen to "Siberian Breaks," which sounds like it was taken straight out of a Jefferson Airplane album:

Do the harmonies sound familiar?

Of course it sounds familiar, because it's already been done, but aren't mad. Imitation is a form of flattery, and we are overjoyed that the psych sound is making its return to the music scene. 

Looking for even more of a new music fix? Check out Rough Trade Records' website https://www.roughtrade.com/ for more info