One listen to Athens, Greece quintet My Drunken Haze and their self-titled debut, you can tell they’ve done their homework. Their sound is colored with hues found on a late-60s psychedelic color wheel. They veer more on the side of pop than rock, but that’s not to say a fuzz pedal isn’t engaged here and there.
While we’re on the subject of fuzz pedals, “Gambling Woman” sounds almost giddy with it’s blues runs, farfisa organ, and singer Matina Sous Peau’s reverbed and distorted yelps. That’s not to say she can’t sound sweet; check out opening track “Carol Wait” and the neo-psych pop of “Yellow Balloon” for further proof of her sultry, vocal prowess. “Girl Who Looks Like A Boy” is a mixed bag of pure pop confection and drug haze bliss, with Spir Frelini’s songwriting really shining through the dense haze. “Pleasing Illusions” is the centerpiece track on this debut, as it should be. It’s a crawling desert death trip(both literally and existentially) as the tambourine and echoplex work overtime in this dense seven minute opus. Lots of synth noise and percussion move the song along as the band does some great harmonizing vocally. “Reflections Of Your Mind” has a more modern sound, with Silversun Pickups coming to mind. “Paper Planes” sounds like a cross between Melody’s Echo Chamber and Mazzy Star. The longing is undeniable in this great song. Peau really shines here as the track shows her strength as the voice of My Drunken Haze. “Endless Fairytale” closes out this strong debut on a cloud of harpsichord, electric piano, and Peau’s reverbed, distant vocals.
My Drunken Haze dabble in 60s pop, psychedelic haze, dream pop, and even shoegaze at times. When they take all of those influences and mix it with their own mojo, they make something quite lovely, dense, and easy to get lost in.
7.9 out of 10
