Atlanta is known as the home to Outkast, Black Lips and Mastodon, a diverse mélange of groundbreaking groups that helped to define a slew of southern sounds. So it shouldn’t be surprising that a band like Bumblefest headliner Psychic Death would emerge from the A-Town shadows: The city has a history of nurturing strange, dark and exciting acts.
“We are spoiled when it comes to music here,” Psychic Death drummer James Cramer tells PureHoney. “There are so many great bands, and so many great places to play.”
To the question, “What do they sound like?” Psychic Death merit the best possible response: a shrug and a smile that elicits curiosity followed by a tirade of adjectives and name-dropping that don’t quite hit the mark. (See below!) Description with enthusiasm beats sounding like any other band every day of the week; use hand gestures if you have to. What do they sound like? They sound awesome!
Psychic Death straddle death rock, post-punk and darkwave, although they’re a bit too upbeat to be considered goth. Live, they are tight, terse and thrumming with an intensity that feels explosive. On record they sound like Joy Division and Rozz Williams-era Christian Death squaring up for a knife fight under a full moon. Jangle guitars, new wave synths, and blown-out reverb rattle your skull enough to loosen your fillings.
This dedication to kicking out the proverbial jams most likely got them the attention of Die Slaughterhaus Records, Atlanta’s self-styled “least professional D.I.Y. label,” which is putting out Psychic Death’s next record. Die Slaughterhaus has been the springboard for many diverse bands out of the southeast such as the Coathangers, Dinos Boys, Ladrones, Gentlemen Jesse and his Men and a continuing CVS-receipt-length list of talent that embodies The Atlanta Way.
Cramer cautions that “gentrification is constantly threatening the venues we have” in Atlanta “but our music scene is so strong, it affords us constant opportunity and inspiration, and I don’t think we would be the band we are right now without it.”
Bumblefest is Sept. 6 and 7 in downtown West Palm Beach. bumblefest.com https://psychicdeathatl.bandcamp.com ~ Tim Moffatt
