English outfit TOY provides a sound familiar to ’60’s pop experimentalism that takes modern cues with its arrangement, tone bank, and post-millennial melancholy. If you haven’t heard either other of their two full-length efforts, their body of work is something that any psych-rock fan should play around with.
TOY mixes aspects of psychedelia, noise, experimentalism, and pop to make a sonic concoction thick with weird sounds and jarring noise juxtaposed against heavy melodic content in their vocal work and choruses. Their offhand sense of “too cool to care” is inviting and subtly hiding detectable amounts of introspective reflection in both the chords and lyrical content.
They’re on tour throughout North America and will play a smattering of shows. We can give away a pair of tickets to a select date… Which one would you like to go to?
The psyche-rock quintet have been building their experimental sounds since 2010. In October of last year, Join The Dots was released via Heavenly Recordings in a limited run of 300 hand-stamped 7″ singles. As of December, the album is available to anyone with an internet connection.
On stage, TOY takes advantage of their liberal arrangements with improvisational excursions into noise, feedback, and ethereal soundscapes.
So how can you get tickets to see TOY for yourself? In the comments below, tell us your favorite psych rock band of all time. Piper at the Gates of Dawn was my shit, so I’m going to go with the obvious answer and say Pink Floyd.
The winner will be chosen at 3pm EST on January 9, and can select one show from the tour dates below. In addition to the pair of tickets, the winner will receive a vinyl copy of Join The Dots.
TOUR DATES
1/10/14 NYC, Mercury Lounge
1/11/14 Philadelphia, Kung Fu Necktie
1/13/14 Montreal, Divan Orange
1/14/14 Toronto, Horseshoe Tavern
1/15/14 Detroit, Lager House
1/16/14 Chicago, Beat Kitchen
1/18/14 San Francisco, The Chapel
1/19/14 LA, The Echo
