After the success of their 2014 debut LP Annabel Dream Reader and a seemingly interminable run of live appearances, The Wytches return to our eardrums with a fresh batch of psychedelic post-punk on their new 4-track EP Thunder Lizard’s Reprieve.
With a titular tip of the cap to their 2013 EP Thunder Lizard Revisited, their latest release comes as reassurance that the energy, graft, and ingenuity of the Brighton based three-piece has endured a busy and successful year. Having previewed ‘Wasteybois’ and ‘If Not For My Money’ in the past few weeks, the full EP comes with two new tracks ‘Gettin’ Lucky’ and ‘DADFAC#’, pushing the overall feel of the collection away a little from the assuredly grungy angst of Annabel Dream Reader, and playing more heavily on their psychedelic and experimental influences.
Even with the disarming, trippy fuzz of ‘Gettin’ Lucky’ that opens the EP, the collection is not without the macabre tone that pervaded The Wytches’ previous releases. For example; even though ‘If Not For My Money’ kicks off like a Mac Demarco single, the dreamy synth chords and sweeping guitar licks are offset by talk of “a promise that you made and it is written in blood”.
Following this track is the aggressive ‘Wasteybois’; its up-tempo rhythm, jagged ending, and scuzzy vocalism cementing its post-punk accreditations. Equally, their dread, riff driven instrumental interlude ‘DADFAC#’ nods to song structures throughout Annabel Dream Reader, but with a boldness in experimentation that can be afforded on an EP.
Their latest release comes as reassurance that the energy, graft, and ingenuity of the Brighton based three-piece has endured a busy and successful year.
Overall, Thunder Lizard’s Reprieve comes with a satisfying number of surprises as well as continuation from The Wytches; an admirable feat considering its length. Its mixture of tones and influences represents a movement away from their debut LP, and will surely lead to speculation as to the nature of their second full length release.
James Noble
James is listening to ‘5’ by Three Trapped Tigers
