The music of Garcia Peoples is always a deeply cathartic force. Even at its darkest, it can lift you up out of whatever state you’re in, and take you to a lighter, better place. It recharges you when you’re running spiritually on empty. In fact, listening to this new record specifically reminds me of the feelings once expressed by the good doctor, Hunter S. Thompson:

“Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.”

At times when bleakness is all too familiar, songs like the purifyingly rockin’ “Total Yang” and the rebelliously positive “Feel So Good” can battle through your hard times and sustain you for days.

While Cosmic Cash carried a sunny current of stoned Americana, the tracks on Natural Facts have a slightly darker psychedelic edge with a dense wall-of-sound approach. All across the album, thunderous riffs chug alongside ricocheting dual electric picking and candy-sweet harmonies.

Take for instance the tense “Patient World.” The song sways with a melancholic apprehension that builds and builds until reaching a dazed maelstrom of acid guitar leads, crashing drums and plaintive vocals. If driving around aimlessly with friends at 3AM in an attempt to cheer up after a failed Saturday night had a sound, it would certainly be this song.

While you may detect hints of The Who, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Man here and there, make no mistake —  the fusion of moods, textures and techniques present on this record is unlike anything else that you might hear today. What Garcia Peoples is able to conjure together on this album is a wholly unique and fresh sound that works just as well in the studio as it does on stage. From the tight, unpredictable jamming on the infinitely fun “High Noon Violence” to the straight up gorgeous vocal work on “Canvas,” Natural Facts is a record that any listener can easily have profound experiences with, no matter how many times they hear it.

You can grab this album at Beyond is Beyond is Beyond. And if you happen to be reading this today (3/29/19) and live within the tri-state area, you HAVE to head to Nublu and catch Garcia Peoples’ album release party with special guests Ryan Jewell and Chris Forsyth!

-KH

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