Album Review: Dirty Sound Magnet – Dreaming In Dystopia (Wild Thing Records)

The evocative psychedelic rock trio Dirty Sound Magnet will release their new album, Dreaming In Dystopia, on 20th October via Australian label Wild Thing Records.

What does psychedelia really mean in the context of music? How can music make you feel as though you’ve taken some odd-looking mushrooms? How can music create vivid colours, dreamy headspaces, and the sense of the soul being separated from the body?

It sounds impossible, but many bands that call themselves ‘psychedelic’ have accomplished just this, even if it’s not always at the forefront of their music. Stand aside pretenders, Dirty Sound Magnet are the epitome of psychedelia, and this is one trip to remember.

Weird, wacky, and wonderful. Dirty Sound Magnet create soundscapes that you can both sink into and jerk around to as though you’re having a fit. Sometimes in the exact same song. The experience is as disconcerting as it is comforting, and while it does make for a challenging listen, it does leave an impression none the less.

It is likable, but is it lovable? That’s going to be down to individual tastes but if you want a bit of a headrush to get some idea of what the album has to offer then the erratic abstraction of Melodies from Distant Shores is not a bad place to start. Alongside that, and if you’re game enough to continue down the rabbit hole with them, then there’s something quite excitable about The Tragedy of Men.

There’s also something so infectiously enjoyable about Utopia and the way the vocals are nearly spoken. Though if you really want to get the full mind-altering Dirty Sound Magnet experience wrapped up in one song, then Insomnia is it. Being almost double the length of any other track, and being an eclectic blend of stuff you can drift away to, stuff you can groove to, and stuff you can well and truly get freaky to.

Does it sound like fun? It’s a trip that everyone should experience at least once. After all, how do you know if you’ll like it, if you don’t?

Dirty Sound Magnet – Dreaming in Dystopia Track Listing:

1. Melodies from Distant Shores
2. Dreaming in Dystopia
3. The Tragedy of Men
4. Lonely Bird
5. Utopia
6. Flowers, Angels and Chaos
7. Lost My Mind
8. Insomnia

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