Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

A mix of sprawling, exploratory psych-pop, prog-rock, and heavy garage riffs, Australia’s Psychedelic Porn Crumpets rose out of Perth’s indie underground, earning a devoted fan base through hard touring and releases like 2016′s High Visceral, Pt. 1 and 2019′s more muscular And Now for the Whatchamacallit. The group’s ARIA-nominated fourth album, Shyga! The Sunlight Mound, appeared in 2021, followed quickly by Night Gnomes a year later.
Formed in 2014, the band grew out of the solo endeavors of singer/guitarist Jack McEwan. Working out of an old horse barn in rural Leederville, he and fellow guitarist Luke Parish, bassist Luke Reynolds, and drummer Danny Caddy pooled their collective consciousness in massive all-night jam sessions, developing the musical conversations that were honed into 2016′s High Visceral, Pt. 1. A sequel, High Visceral, Pt. 2, appeared a year later and doubled down on the group’s fusion of bluesy riffs and experimental yet melodic guitar rock. With their profile increased thanks to international touring, the Crumpets took a harder-edged approach on their 2019 outing, And Now for the Whatchamacallit, an album that also featured some of their most intricately structured psych-pop to date. After logging another major Australian tour, the band focused their studio efforts to create 2021′s similarly inventive Shyga! The Sunlight Mound, which earned an ARIA Award nomination for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album. Heralded by the explosive Black Sabbath-like riffs of lead single “Lava Lamp Pisco,” the prolific Crumpets offered up their fifth album, Night Gnomes, in April 2022. ~ Timothy Monger