A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy Archives

Filthy Hippies Premiere “Wilt” Video; A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy Out April 4

Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 17th, 2025 by JJ Koczan

Filthy Hippies released their new single “Wilt” this past Friday on the usual internetty smattering of streaming services. Lots of big names and no paychecks, you know the type. The South African heavygazer outfit say farewell to their now-former drummer, Mark Van Zyl, with their upcoming full-length, A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy — a title to which the music absolutely does live up — which lands April 4 with the backing of Mongrel Records. The new LP is coming on a quick turnaround from 2024’s Share the Pill (review here), but perhaps the fact that their drummer was moving to New Zealand — not gonna say I don’t get it — lit a fire under the process; I honestly don’t know. In any case, there are far worse things for a band to be than prolific.

The album is keyed for immediate immersion as “Get Out of My Way” begins. The vocals of guitarist/keyboardist Andrew Paine sit mellow and breathy deep within the fliud mix, the guitars of Ca’lee Tucker and Tim Ball create an engrossing backdrop of effects and noise, bassist Mandy Backstrom (also vocals) locked in on bass while what may or may not be a drum machine holds a subtle intensity beneath all the slow swirl. “Wilt” follows immediately and brings a clearer acoustic strum, but hey, big shocker, the album they decided to call A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy has a pretty vital focus on mood. Further to that, the sound isn’t monolithic. As with Share the Pill, Filthy Hippies dare to lean into indie and pop-psych — the latter in the second-half lead guitar of “Miserable,” for example — but the megafuzz blowout “Sad Things Write Themselves,” the psychedelic trip-hop of “Mind Pollution” and the comparatively minimalist guitar contemplation “Flashbacks” are also accounted for in their scope, so in addition to a world being made, it’s one that is full of life.

But of course, evolution is slow and so for the most part are Filthy Hippies. A transcendental hum in “Throw Away” feeding into “Flashbacks” gives the middle of the record a particularly entrancing bent, but “Smells Like Rehab” grounds with a straightforward folkish acoustic guitar and leaves it to the vocals and backing keys to get weird with just a hint of twang, subsequently shoved cosmic by “Sad Things Write Themselves.” The story of the back half of A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy gets more complex with the combined vocals and ambient layering of “Colours Fade Away,” which creates a space and threatens to fill it but recedes calmly into an ethereal drift. All of this is headed toward the druggy ’90s experimentalism of “Stargazer” (more fun with pop malleability here) and “Absolution,” but before the closing duo, “Into a Dream” gives one last space-rocking push, tambourine included for extra movement. That divergence into the relatively straightforward does a lot to realign the listener before side B wraps up as weirdo-celebrant as it does. They say in space no one can hear you scream. I’m pretty sure that means no one can hear you chill the fuck out either.

Considering the ephemeral nature of the band’s lineup as presented here, the adieu being bid to the five-piece they were presumably in the name of being able to get on stage and do the thing, A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy covers a lot of ground and finds the band getting more expansive in terms of style. I don’t know the actual circumstances under which it was made — that is, if it was recorded at the same time as the last album, or if the fact that they do it all themselves lets them jam and explore and they like to get the stuff on tape while it’s fresh, or whatever else in this universe of infinite possibility — but it feels less about impact than its predecessor and that comes across like an organic progression of craft in this material. Quick turnaround or not, it’s a dynamic worth preserving.

Enjoy the premiere of “Wilt” below, followed by more from the PR wire:

Filthy Hippies, “Wilt” video premiere

ADD ➤ https://orcd.co/-wilt

Cape Town-based alternative-psychedelic band Filthy Hippies have made a name for themselves in the South African music scene with their signature shoegaze-infused sound. Since their formation in 2018, they have cemented their reputation as a standout act in the country’s thriving psych scene, sharing stages with notable bands such as Dangerfield and delivering an unforgettable performance at the 2019 Endless Daze Festival.

After a period of evolution and lineup changes, Filthy Hippies are thrilled to announce their latest album, ‘A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy’. This release marks a significant chapter for the band as they bid farewell to longtime collaborator Mark Van Zyl, who was instrumental in shaping the record before his upcoming move to New Zealand.

“His intense creativity will be sorely missed,” shares frontman Andrew Paine. “But it was awesome to get to go down the rabbit hole one last time with him before he goes.”

‘A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy’ is exactly that—a vibrant yet introspective journey through the highs and lows of life. “It’s just reflections on everyday experiences and emotions,” Paine explains. “A
journey through a slightly jaded mind.” The album embraces a message of presence and acceptance, reminding listeners to cherish fleeting moments. “Enjoy every moment as it happens,” says Paine. “Things fade away far too quickly, and life moves in very definite cycles.”

The recording process was an immersive and intensive experience, with the band diving deep into latenight brainstorming sessions and extended tracking marathons. “Everything was recorded at our home
studio, The Sanctuary. Lots of late-night brainstorming and intensely long sessions—it was a lot of fun.”

With a Phil Spector-esque wall of sound blending rich textures, layered harmonies, and deep-rooted pop sensibilities, ‘A Colourful Trip Through Melancholy’ stands as a defining statement from Filthy Hippies.

Track Listing:
1. Get Out Of My Way
2. Wilt
3. Miserable
4. Fuzzbox
5. Mind Pollution
6. Throw Away
7. Flashbacks
8. Smells Like Rehab
9. Sad Things Write Themselves
10. Colours Fade Away
11. Into A Dream
12. Stargazer
13. Absolution