If you were to take Trippy Wicked (né Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight) at their word from their last three studio releases, they might be one of the least predictable heavy bands on the planet. Yes, last year they had the Movin’ On Singles compilation (discussed here) out through APF Records, and in 2017, there was Lost Songs (discussed here) rounding up other recordings, but in 2018 they had the unplugged Stakes and Scale EP (review here), and that was preceded by a 2016 split/collaboration with GURT (review here) and 2013’s Underground (review here), which cast off heavy rock almost entirely in favor of a more clearly metal sound. So what the hell is coming on their new single, Three Leaves, which is out next Monday, April 20, as a two-songer with its title-track and the eight-minute “Green Memories” accompanying?

Hell if I know.

Okay, actually I do know. As they did when guitarist/vocalist Peter Holland and drummer Chris West brought bassist Dicky King back into the lineup last year, and as they did by putting together the Movin’ On Singles — which was preceded by a series of individually-issued videos of the songs (as seen here, here and here) — they’re going to ground. It’s not about expectations, or about making some grand stylistic statement. It’s about getting three friends, each with their own life and whathaveyou outside the band, in the same place to revel in a long-established collaboration for the simple joy of it. “Three Leaves?” It’s stoner sludge with lyrics out of the movie Friday. And “Green Memories?” It’s newer, a bit moodier and offset by acoustic interludes. Neither contains an ounce of pretense either in its structure or presentation, and both sound like the work of a band who’ve realized how much they want to write these songs.

Not to belabor the point, but as you watch the “Three Leaves” video with Holland, King and West filming their commutes to and from rehearsal, including train rides and pre-practice beers, there’s hardly a statement to be made that could seem more poignant at this present moment. These guys are a band, and they have been for more than a decade, but as they stand in the rehearsal room and goofily wave goodbye to each other, it’s clear they’re also friends and it’s clear that friendship is something cherished by each of them. Sitting in social isolation under the omnipresent threat of plague, perhaps that resonates all the more than it otherwise might. Or maybe I just don’t have any friends. Ha.

Either way, enjoy the clip for “Three Leaves,” and here’s hoping for more Trippy Wicked to come soon, whatever form it might take upon arrival:

Trippy Wicked, “Three Leaves” official video

Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight announce the upcoming digital double A side single ‘Three Leaves’ and ‘Green Memories’.

Out on April 20th Three Leaves is a stoner doom homage to the cult classic movie ‘Friday’ and the song has been a permanent fixture in the band’s live set for several years.

Green Memories is the first new music written and released since the longest serving line up of Pete Holland, Chris West and Dicky King announced they were playing together again in early 2019.

Drummer Chris West commented:

“Originally we were just going to release Three Leaves as a single on its own. We’ve been recording songs for an album and we’re getting down everything we’ve been working on including some songs not set for the album. Green Memories wasn’t going to be on that and once we started working on it, it became one of those songs that grows to be greater than the sum of its parts. The direction of the band’s sound is a touch darker since we started jamming and writing again and we wanted to share something new with fans as soon as we could.”

Three Leaves / Green Memories will be available to download on April 20th from the band’s Bandcamp as a name your price download. It will also be available on all streaming and digital platforms.

https://www.trippywicked.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/75eUbiAO7Iee6Vu9T3EtDv

Trippy Wicked are:
Pete Holland – guitar and vocals
Dicky King – bass
Chris West – drums

Trippy Wicked on Thee Facebooks

Trippy Wicked on Instagram

Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight on Bandcamp

Tags: London, Three Leaves, Trippy Wicked, Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight, Trippy Wicked Three Leaves, UK

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 at 4:42 am and is filed under Bootleg Theater. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.