ALBUM REVIEW: Acid Disorder – Giöbia
The capital of Lombardy, Milan, is a city famous for its fashion, arts and stunning architecture. The beating heart of Northern Italy has always played by its own rules, and has always done so with a fiery Italian passion. This also applies to the acid psychedelic rock music created by space travelling quartet GIÖBIA. When the worlds of 1960s rock and neo-psychedelic rock collided, from the resulting supernova GIÖBIA came into being with dazzling, kaleidoscopic colour. The band began to make a name for themselves when they released their 2013 album Introducing Night Sound, which saw them play on some of the most important stages in Europe. Then they reached a milestone with their seminal 2016 album The Magnifier, which placed them amongst the most influential bands in the scene. Now with Acid Disorder they once again take you on a spacey musical journey of discovery.
The band’s acidic, hallucinogenic, fluid sound has evolved considerably over the last decade, as they create vivid vortexes of sound that suck you into an alternate reality where the boundaries are blurred with a vast array of hues. Acid Disorder is another wonderfully weird and spacey chapter in GIÖBIA’s mind bending quest to explore the outer extremities of consciousness. This is music for leaving your body behind and being completely comfortable getting lost and never returning from the astral planes. Acid Disorder is luscious escapism that looks to melt the reality of your surroundings the very second you put your headphones on.
The fluid nature of this album makes you believe that it is some sort of astral, effervescent water in audible form. You can feel the bubbles of the synthesiser melodies float between your ears. Surrealism aside, GIÖBIA are masters at crafting songs that are rich in texture and deeply atmospheric, stitched together by the band’s innate charm and mystery. What gives the album an added depth is the implementation of instruments such as the sitar and saz alongside vintage organs and synths. Weaving the folkier sounds into a spacious world of echoing melodies makes Acid Disorder stand out, similar to the unique and crazy creations of virtuosic proggy space rock maters OZRIC TENTACLES. Throughout the album you feel as if you are floating in infinite space amongst the stars of the cosmos, whilst exploring realms and dimensions previously unknown.
Utilising the core elements of space rock and kraut rock alongside their compositional inclinations towards sci-fi soundtracks, GIÖBIA naturally know how to create intricate musical journeys. There is a synchronicity that transcends the album, no matter how weird or strange, it all goes with the same flow. Bazu and Melissa’s shared vocal duties also add an element of surprise as you don’t know which one will sing from one song to the next, yet both voices are ethereal, guiding you through these unknown astral planes. Underpinning the lofty, interweaving and vibrant synths and stringed instruments is a robust rhythm section provided by Pietro (drums) and Detrji (bass) that pushes and pulls the feel of the songs whilst gently driving them forward.
Queen Of Wands kicks things off with a 1980s style sci-fi vibe, a sprawling seven-minute track of constantly evolving synth melodies, steady drums and grooving bass lines that transport you to another world. Leading into The Sweetest Nightmare the band rely on fuzzy, doom-esque riffs alongside the introduction the sitar and saz. Melissa’s vocals are enchanting and celestial throughout. Consciousness Equals Energy has big OZRIC TENTACLES vibes, an evolving guitar lead and guiding synths launch into a trippy, bath of acidic psychedelia. This is continued on the following track Screaming Souls, which also takes on a heavier tone. Heavy bass riffs and jangly guitars drive the song forward with smatterings of ethereal atmospherics in between.
This smoothly transitions into Blood Is Gone; its vintage organ captivates you as it opens up into an anthemic space rock song with a plodding groove to nod your head too. Circo Galattico is a hypnotically dizzying track that phases in and out with vintage sci-fi soundtrack synthesisers. Across the seven minutes, UFO imagery floods your mind as little alien folk show you their planet. In Line carries a late 1960s/early 1970s psychedelia vibe that completely mellows you out; you see hypnotic swirls of vivacious colour as the guitar effortlessly drifts from ear to ear. Album closer Acid Disorder is slightly more chaotic, with the sitar featuring prominently throughout. This closing trip consolidates the album perfectly as you begin your slow descent from the clouds.
GIÖBIA are on course to be the new masters of neo-psychedelia; the Milan quartet imbue the genre with a new vigour and Italian passion. Acid Disorder is a special and luxurious listening experience that takes you on a trip that you won’t soon forget.
Rating: 9/10
Acid Disorder is set for release on April 28th via Heavy Psych Sounds.
Like GIÖBIA on Facebook.