Well, this is something handy to have sitting in the back of the cupboard ready for a rainy day. Some fifteen years after recording these tracks as a follow up to their debut album, Sonic Flower, who having fallen out with each other (and presumably now made up again) in this time, have a collection of brand new groovy psychedelics for our ears to relish.
Sonic Flower, who are probably most notable for having past and present members of the mighty Church Of Misery in their ranks, deal in some perfectly fuzzy stoner rock. Abandoning much of the brutality of the aforementioned Church of Misery, ‘Rides Again’ is jam-packed full of rollicking riffs that ooze care-free rock’n’roll and stir up some much-needed sun-bleached memories of better times. It’s all instrumental, bar a few soundbites, so there are obvious comparisons to Karma To Burn who they sit alongside very nicely. Sonic Flower also tread a close line with The Atomic Bitchwax from the more care-free and less structured days of their early albums.
Let’s face it, there is no real shortage of instrumental stoner bands out there if that is your thing. This band are up there with the very best though.
‘Rides Again’ is perfect little festival of fuzz. In fact, the only fault you can pick with this collection is that it’s too short. Weighing in at under the half-hour mark, it just begs to be left on repeat for at least two full listens. Luckily, Heavy Psych Sounds have repressed their debut album for release alongside this one, so there’s plenty to discover if you are new to Sonic Flower.
You won’t be overly shocked to find out that their debut wasn’t too much of a stones throw away from what we have on offer here. The collection of tracks that make up ‘Rides Again’ mainly flow like a live jam session, with a rollercoaster of riffs and solos winding steadily out of control for the most part. Steeped in vintage tone from the biker-friendly album cover to the soft production tones, this little album is a warm and pleasing rush of good vibes. By no means cutting edge, Sonic Flower are rooted to the hazy seventies and proud to be well and truly stuck there!
The two releases from Sonic Flower – ‘Rides Again’ and ‘Sonic Flower’ are out through Heavy Psych Sounds on January 29th 2021.
