UAY

The new record from Guadalajara’s UAY captures a rhythmic psychedelic spirit culled from works from across the globe. Finding the connective tissue between Erkin Koray, Guru Guru, Os Mutantes, and Kikagaku Moyo, the band lets a turbulent pulse drive their sound while leaning into the gauzy textures of modern psych and casting them in a new light. There are a dozen Oh Sees ripoffs and Ty Segall shadows at this point, and while it might have been easy to drop a few echoplexed yelps in Spanish atop a fuzzed rumble, the band instead leans into a nimble vision of psychedelia that’s poised to move the body as much as drift the mind.

The band blossomed out of a homegrown Guadalajara scene, originally forming under the name FAUNO and releasing the album Mexidelica in 2013. The album’s name would come to grace a festival that the band holds annually, celebrating psych local and at large. The sounds that fed FAUNO remain lighter but hold the seeds of what’s become on Kukulkan. The record percolates with a polyrhythmic pulse, stitching slippery synths, funk guitar, scorched sonics, and a velour vocal purr atop the whirlpool of drums. Their Halfshell debut begs the listener to peel back the layers of their sound, an endlessly entertaining feat.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.