Has anyone done psychedelic pop since the ’60s? Of course, The Beatles and The Velvet Underground were considered psychedelic and pop because they were popular at the time. But when considering more modern bands, I can think of plenty of psychedelic rock groups, but not pop. This is where Cairobi come in to save the day. This London-based 5 piece are incorporating the best elements of psychedelia with their own contemporary twist to make killer pop tunes.
Cairobi have already gained plenty of attention from their previous Distant Fire EP – enough to bag them slots at Field Day and The Great Escape this year. Support from Huw Stephens and Noisey hasn’t done them much harm either. The band have just released new single ‘Gristly Words’ in wake of all this excellent press, and proved it was deserved in doing so.
Bringing together an array of sounds from classic ’60s psychedelia to the more modern musings of Tune-Yards, Cairobi manage to mould their influences into a pop sensation. Guitars whammed full of reverb and cymbals clashing until your ears burst are just two of the unbelievable amount of layers of instrumentation in this track. Even just the amount of experimental, alternative ideas and possibilities in this one song create true excitement for what an entire album could become.
In the musical journey that is ‘Gristly Words’, there are many different forks in the road that the song could take – you just never know where it’s going to lead next. And that’s the best thing about ‘Gristly Words’; when there’s so many predictable pop songs in this would, Cairobi keep you guessing.
Elli Brazzill
@littlelionelli
Elli Brazzill
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