ALBUM REVIEW: Bring On The Psychics – Quicksand
New York post-hardcore legends QUICKSAND return with an explosive bang and make a triumphant return with their new album Bring On The Psychics. This record is the band’s first in half a decade, and it proves exactly why they and their music are held in such high regard, and their soaring, emotional songs are sounding as strong as they always have done.
Even though QUICKSAND were formed back in 1990, Bring On The Psychics is only the bands fifth album. But it is very much a case of quality over quantity and this new record marries the intensity of their 90s albums Slip and Manic Compression with the more vivid recent output of the Interiors and Distant Populations albums, while adding more vivid twist and turns this time around.
The energy explodes from the very first notes of the albums opening track, the aptly named Get To It, and from then on in, it’s vintage QUICKSAND all the way with the core trio of guitarist/vocalist Walter Schreifels, bassist Sergio Vega, and drummer Alan Cage firing on all cylinders throughout. They prove exactly what great musicians they are, and all their experience and love for the music comes to the fore in these songs.
Vast soundscapes colliding with raw and intense emotions are the order of the fat here and although sometimes the power in QUICKSAND‘s music lies in the more subtle elements of their music, of which there are plenty on Bring On The Psychics, and the results are as breathtaking as they always have been for QUICKSAND. The vocals of Walter Schreifels, coupled with his guitar still sounds incredible and his performance on this album is breathtakingly passionate while Sergio Vega’s instantly recognisable bass groove sounds immense throughout and coupled with Alan Cage’s powerhouse drumming, you have a consistently formidable rhythm powering the album.
The likes of Crystallize, Supercollider and Cool Guy in particular are prime QUICKSAND, full of energy, emotion and pack one hell of a punch. The hazy Days You Run To in particular has a much more mellow vibe, perfect for the upcoming summer months and the whole collection of songs that will be stuck in your head for a very long time.
The whole album segues seamlessly as the band pour their hearts out into these songs and this is a sheer declaration that QUICKSAND are back again and are here to stay, and as the final notes on the title track of the album, which closes it, ring out, you know you have been listening to a band in their absolute element. Bring On The Psychics is QUICKSAND still sounding as vital as ever and the fact that they are still doing it so far into their life as a band is utterly commendable, and for this they should be both applauded and rightly lauded as one of the true greats when it comes to post-hardcore. Their pedigree shines through on this new album, just as it has throughout their career.
Rating: 8/10
Bring On The Psychics is out now via Equal Vision Records/Rude Records.
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