Question:
Was wondering what people thought ‘psychedelic punk’ was? And what bands they’d consider to fit the style.
I’m a musician myself and I started out mostly digging punk music, but now I probably listen to more psychedelic/sixties music on the regular, although I love both. I feel both inform my music, but I don’t think I make “psychedelic punk.”
I was wondering what would psychedelic punk actually sound like? Or rather, what it means to other people
– from CosmicMatt15 on Reddit
Answer:
Psychedelic punk is one of my favorite genres. It has a LOT of overlap with garage rock, because garage rock originated in the psychedelic era but was more stripped back like punk. It also has some overlap with “fuzz folk” bands like Neutral Milk Hotel. It also has a large influence taken from the proto-punk bands like The Velvet Underground, the Stooges, and MC5 and rock bands like Pink Floyd and the Who and even a song like Helter Skelter by the Beatles.
Those bands all started out as rock n roll or psych-rock bands and many evolved in various directions, taking certain elements of psychedelic music to the extreme in ways that helped influence the genesis of punk music.
Songs like Heroin, I Wanna Be Your Dog, and My Generation have elements of both genres
A key is the things these genres have in common, as well as their differences. Power chords and distortion on guitars are standards of garage rock, psychedelic rock, and punk music. Garage rock and punk music especially use power chords because they’re a great way for beginners to play guitar quickly.
Some things you usually won’t hear in a standard punk song are instruments other than guitar, bass, and drums, experimental song structures, and long guitar solos. All of which are often (but not always) heard in psychedelic rock.
One of the most interesting things I’ve realized from writing this is that psychedelic rock and punk music both have a lot in common. It’s generally a question more of how much they overlap, not if there will be overlap at all. For example: a punk band can have an organ and still be a punk band, even though it’s more common to hear that in a garage rock or psychedelic band. A psychedelic band can write songs that use power chords, even though they’re more commonly used in punk bands.
Sometimes the biggest factor is not only what’s in the song, but how far it’s being taken. Plenty of rock songs have fast tempos, but punk took it faster. Most rock songs have some overdrive or distortion on the guitar, but with punk, the guitars are almost always heavily distorted.
I’d say one of the key elements of psychedelic punk is an appreciation for and influence from a lot of bands in both genres. You can mix different elements of both genres is varying ways which creates a lot of variety in the genre itself. Some psychedelic punk bands will lean more toward psychedelic, others will lean more toward punk. There’s no hard and fast rule for where one becomes the other
Some of my favorite psychedelic punk bands are:
Many of In the Junipers’ releases have elements of psychedelic punk too. See the album [Untitled] by Hot the Cat, which has psychedelic textures and stripped back songwriting reminiscent of Elephant 6 bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel. The songs “Hold Me With Hope” and “Storm and Steam” in particular combine a fast BPM, emotional intensity, distorted guitars, and psychedelic sounds and production techniques
Or listen to “Silverface Killah” By the Rubber Ducks/Farkies. It has punk energy with an unusual, distorted guitar riff that brings both psychedelic music and punk rock to mind. “Little Guy” (about treating Gnomes with kindness and respect) from the same album sounds even more like an 80s punk song but with lyrics that resemble something much more akin to 60s flower child music.
There’s also Baby Baby Baby off Color Was Everything by Piece, which incorporates stripped back production, psychedelic synths, fast fuzzy guitars, and intense vocals. straight up punk like Your Arm to something with dynamics that lean toward alternative rock. Big Island, which builds from quiet, clean instrumentation to intense vocals and distorted guitars is a great example of psych punk blending into alternative rock, another genre that is both distinct and has many overlaps.
And on Sunset(s) by Sunset, about half the songs are just straight up psychedelic punk. From the distorted guitars and stripped down drums on “Crystal Eye” to the distorted vocals with noticeable echo effect with heavy noisy guitars and many layers of sound of “Hate to Say It“.
Before I started writing this, I didn’t even realize how much of an influence psychedelic punk has been on not only the music of our bands, but the music we get excited about. No wonder, because it’s one of my favorite genres!
4 Responses
So THAT’S what that sound is called
Yes Shannon and the clams!
rock on
Did u make that playlist yet?