The band sticks with the decade of decadence as their blueprint, but leaves behind the dust and dreams of West Coast cowboys and Canyon troubadours. Triptides embraces a disco skitter behind the kit, sliding deftly between the towering heights of modern psych-pop and a cream-crushed dose of blue-eyed soul doused with a touch of Yacht-rock’s gloss. Triptides is shedding the word “psychedelic” from its vocabulary – Maybe because after over a decade of adventurous songs and albums across genres and styles–ranging from bedroom pop to prog rock to Laurel Canyon country–the term “interdimensional” feels more appropriate to the Southern California-based band. Driven by the songwriting mind of multi-instrumentalist Glenn Brigman with longtime collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Burns, Triptides is moving through a galaxy of music following only their own compass. And with their latest album, “Starlight” ( via Curation Records), the duo proves there is a lot more they wish to explore.
It’s as close as the band has come to a full-tilt festival filler. Running on wisps of Gaucho and Takin’ It Easy, the new album feels more meticulous than anything in Triptides’ catalogue. If you held the notion of having Triptides typecast, “Starlight” is here to shake those assumptions.
With tightly interwoven rhythm guitars and basslines, coupled with Brigman’s keen sense of melody and harmony, there’s a new energy shining through with “Starlight”. It’s quite a departure from last year’s laid back acoustic strummer, “So Many Days”, and it’s lightyears from the surf-rock-cassette era of the group. But despite the unexpected movements, from the sounds and structures, you can instantly tell that it’s Triptides behind the wheel–ready to launch you to another star.
Triptides is moving through a galaxy of music following only their own compass. In an almost-jazzy fusion of electric keyboard textures and dancefloor grooves that dives into the worlds of Stereolab, Steely Dan and Cortex. With tightly interwoven rhythm guitars and basslines, coupled with Brigman’s keen sense of melody and harmony, there’s a new energy shining through with “Starlight”. This is the third chapter that started with fuzzed-out “Alter Echoes” and the folk-jangled “So Many Days”.
released April 28th, 2023
The Fat Angel Sings 