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Apr 28, 2021 By Caleb Campbell

If you’re looking for some new late-sixties-style psych rock and proto punk, look no further than the new record from the LA-based Grave Flowers Bongo Band. The band debuted in 2019 with the serene psychedelia of Flower Pot but have since upped the grooves, wild guitar solos, and dexterous drum fills with their sophomore record, Strength of Spring.

Backed by prolific garage psych legend Ty Segall on production and releasing on John Dwyer’s Castle Face Records, the band’s sophomore record sees Grave Flowers Bongo Band evolve into a psych rock powerhouse. Light on lyrics but heavy on grooves, the record recalls the flinty guitar work and barrelling drumming of early Led Zeppelin with added touches like Stooges-esque bursts of sax and the unbridled psych freakouts of modern garage psych heroes like Osees.

The band is impressively tight together, allowing moments like the wild acid-fried psychedelia of “Sleepy Eyes” to flow seamlessly into tumbling descending acoustic riffs on “Tomorrow.” Meanwhile, tracks like “VATMM” take dreamier paths, exploring groovy bass and trippy melodies before transitioning to the eminently danceable highlight “Outer Bongolia.” Interspersed throughout are frenetic instrumental moments like the galloping proto-metal of “Animal Lord” or the white-hot riffs of “Inner Bongolia.” The band willfully explores to their hearts’ content, going down any instrumental rabbit-hole and uncovering new melodic pathways at a relentless pace. It’s a lot to keep up with but it’s a wild journey worth taking.

Strength of Spring is out April 30th on Castle Face Records but you can listen to it early below, premiering exclusively with Under the Radar.