The latest release from psych-pop outfit Volleyball seems to ask the question, what if Jean Michelle Jarre had taken a summer break with Isaac Hayes on the Spanish Riviera? The answer they come up with is ‘Not For Today’.
Hailing from London, this four piece describe themselves as ‘making psych music and designing things’ and it’s a statement of intent that proves hard to argue with.
Their latest release does move away from the fuzzy bass and garage atmospherics found on their previous release ‘Nosediiv’ and instead returns to a psych-pop sound more reminiscent of earlier efforts like ‘Escape’ and ‘Paradisco’.
That doesn’t mean they’ve lost any of their stoner rock tendencies, in fact, ‘Not For Today’ has an infectiously groovy outro. A swampish baseline drives it through while the vocals compliment it, making the whole thing feel like a trip down a kaleidoscope.
Throughout this hypnotic, spacey maze of summer vibes on a cruise ship, this song really strikes you as the band’s first certified anthem. The hook is instantly catchy and evokes the harmonies found on other certified summer bangers such as the Beach Boys’ ‘Sloop John B’ or anything recently released by Mini Mansions.
Despite their clear psychedelic leanings, here they put a pleasant emphasis on making something that won’t just appeal to connoisseurs of Oasis ‘Hazed Mixes’ on YouTube. This song is so melodic it could make Tom Ogden blush. The lyrics themselves make a fever dream sound like the prettiest summer trip one could find themselves on. "Do you ever switch off?" they ask in the pre-chorus, to which the answer is surely not, why would I when it’s this evocative?
Volleyball continues to impress as one of a promising collective of psych-pop outfits emerging right now, but if they continue down this road of impressive, anthemic summer bops, they may just emerge as a true festival circuit favourite. Make sure you’re in the tent.
Tom Pritchard
@themaninthehallofghosts
Image: Not For Today Official Single Artwork
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