Hailing from Copenhagen, The Wands are Denmark’s finest psychedelic offering and release their new EP Faces on Fuzz Club Records this week. This composition channels hallucinogenic psych immortalised in the Nuggets series, tinged with eastern inspired acid rock.
Created by lifelong friends Christian Skibdal and Mads Gräs, they reached cult like status with the release of their first EP Hello I Know The Blow You Grow Is Magic back in 2012. They were then joined by Thomas Brandt and Kristoffer Hvidberg to create their first LP The Dawn, released in November 2014. Interest has followed the band around ever since and an extensive tour diary spanning European, and with performances at Eindhoven Psych Lab and Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia tucked firmly under their belts, the release of this EP is hotly anticipated for the fans they have amassed en route.
The six track collection begins with ‘Living The Dream’, a hazy, fuzz-leaden instrumental with a smattering of synth thrown in to hint at what is to come. This blends into title track ‘Faces’, an upbeat melodic number with a prevailing feel good vibe. The characteristic vocals of Christian do not disappoint and as the synth is brought to the forefront the music comes into its own, perforating the consciousness and sending the listener into a dream state. This, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly why The Wands have acquired their cult status.
‘Cosmic Sinners’ harmonica and effected guitar opening lends heavily from The Doors, whilst being entirely its own entity. A catchy bass line, persistent drum beat and intermittent synth complete the pacey track which is over all too quickly. We’re not left wanting for long as ‘Out of Fever’ packs quite the punch with complex harmonies lending to intense lyrical content. ‘Between Heavens’ continues in this vein whilst heavily referring back to their previous works; not just a new take on the tried and tested, but an exploration of the boundaries. ‘Outro’ is a pleasing concluding instrumental and a nice partner to its opening counterpart, providing the feeling that this musical journey is complete.
The Wands have taken the best of 60s and 70s psychedelia, twisted it, given it a splash of something special and created a unique sound all of their own. There is a continued evolution in their releases which keeps seasoned fans in rapture whilst attracting a whole host of other suitors.
You can order the vinyl here: http://fuzzclub.com/products/the-wands-faces-ep
