It seems that there’s no such thing as a psyatic, at least according to the Internet. And the Internet is always right. It’s the entirety of human existence at the touch of a keyboard, after all, so I believe it. Psyatic is not a word, let alone and adjective or a noun. Apart from these three guys, who must thusly constitute the only psyatics in existence. Quite what this neologism actually means is therefore unclear. A compound word which refers to a psychotic with sciatica? Maybe.
However, the Las Vegas trio kick up an exciting – and quite eclectic – noise on their third album, ‘Famous Monsters’. For the most part, theirs is a driving punk-influenced style, with Rob Bell’s shouty vocals displaying a vaguely manic edge, which proves the ideal vehicle for the dark, obsessive and at times outright crazed lyrics (‘They tied each others’ hands / Then stabbed themselves over a dozen times’ and ‘Enjoy you for a fortnight, reassure you it’s alright / or remove all our clothes to watch you decompose’ are representative). They’re kings of the strolling bassline, too.
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They’ve shared stages with Rev Horton heat, The Dickies, Peter Murphy and The Angry Samoans, amongst others. They bring some old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll action to the table, while a sax is paired with jittery, stuttering guitar line jammed over a funk-tinged and tight as hell groove on ‘You Killed Me First’. The swampy surf garage of ‘Burnt Offerings’ provides one of a number of raucous highlights. A couple of covers are thrown in for good measure, with the rockabilly groove of ‘I Like to Die’ (The Drags) and ‘I Can’t Stand It’ (Velvet Underground) bolstering a strong set.
The Psyatics Online
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