San Francisco heavy psych rockers The Spiral Electric release their new single “Shadow in the Dark” this Friday. You can stream it now below. For the four-piece, it is the first outing to follow their 2019 self-titled debut 2LP (review here), as well as two preceding EPs, and it marks the first appearance of new bassist Ryan McKnight, who can be heard rumbling beneath the mellow fuzz of guitarists Clay Andrews (also vocals/synth) and Nicolas Percey (leads); the smooth undulations of low end and spacious psychedelic drift set to the steady flow of Matias Drago‘s drumming. Like the self-titled debut that it follows, the new song was engineered and mixed by Dead Meadow‘s Steve Kille (Andrews is also credited with production), and it is the first herald of the band’s second record, which will hopefully be out before the end of the year.

“Shadow in the Dark” is not coy in its appeal. The melody is warm and comes through in Andrews‘ vocals as well as the guitars, which during the verse bring more open-feeling notes, like a West Coast King Buffalo almost, but working toward the end of building into the chorus, which fills the space created by the verse with post-grunge nod, unpretentious, engaging, and serene but still heavy in both tone and presence. Also theme. The song, as Andrews discusses below, is based lyrically based around a discussion of cultural thanatos, the urge toward and fascination with — maybe fixation on — death, as embodied through interest in serial killers and murder documentaries, cults and so on, both drawing and repelling those who delve into that world. The death this week of the Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, is certainly a relevant example, but from Law & Order through Star Wars through the ‘Serial’ podcast, you don’t have to look far to find instances of violence and violent death piquing public interest.

But grim (and in a loose sense, not performatively so) as it might be, “Shadow in the Dark” wants nothing aurally for color. Particularly in Percey‘s guitar, but also in the synth and wash of effects, a brightness comes through that rests well in the dynamic structure of the verses and the hook. And that hook holds the mellow spirit that the song establishes at the outset while expanding both the palette and energy of the piece itself. Considering it as a precursor to a full-length release, one can only look forward to what else might be in store. If you like your psych rock to offer plenty of both — that is, psych and rock — and to offer structure without sounding hindered by it, you might think about giving it a shot. The absolute most that doing so can cost you is five and a half minutes of your day, and as I’ve listened to the track, I don’t know, seven or 15 times this morning while putting this post together, I’ll speak from experience and say it’s easily worth that.

I’ll hope to have more on The Spiral Electric‘s next record, including what it’s called, closer to the release.

Until then, please, enjoy:

The Spiral Electric, “Shadow in the Dark” track premiere

Clay Andrews on “Shadow in the Dark”:

We’ve been describing this track as “heavy psych noir” because of the quiet, creepy sections and roaring choruses. It’s a collaboration between longtime members Clay Andrews (that’s me, haha — vocals, rhythm guitar, synths) and Nicolas Percey (lead guitar), with new bassist Ryan McKnight, making his songwriting debut with us as well as his recording debut as rhythm section with Matias Drago (drums). The lyrics were inspired by the glut of new documentaries about serial killers & cult murders during the Covid lockdown, and the sense of conflict I felt about the enduring public fixation with murder– being both interested in the investigations but also repelled by the endless stream of books & documentaries on these crimes and also put-off by the certainty that most people seem to have, that these horrors could never happen to themselves — despite the deciding factor in some killings being a window left open or a gate left unlocked. The production purposely reflects that conflict with an edge of paranoia, with the howling feedback at the end recreating the sound of sirens and police helicopters swarming a distant location in the suburban sprawl. As with our 2019 self-titled double-LP, Steve Kille (of Dead Meadow) engineered and mixed this and the LP it’s taken from, and he also mastered this single version.

“Shadow in the Dark” digital pre-save: https://snd.click/l1bj

The Spiral Electric:
Clay Andrews – guitar, vocals, synth
Nicolas Percey – lead guitar
Ryan McKnight – bass
Matias Drago – drums

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