GENRE | Scuzzy Psychedelia

LABEL | Mexican Summer

RELEASE DATE | January 12, 2016

VERDICT | Hot as a lava lamp

Quilt are more than a cozy blanket to wrap around yourself. In fact, their music deviates far from the warm and fuzzy–modulated melodies and anxiously restrained instrumentation, with the fuzz turned up to ten, make for an unwieldy modicum of complex sounds. Their latest release, Plaza, barrels ahead at full force, taking psychedelic rock and throttling it, squeezing out every last drop of avant-garde.  

Anna Fox Rochinski’s voice is sultry and airy on “Roller,” hardly pausing for breaths between phrases. “Honey you’ve been at my throat about it,” she sings repeatedly, as metered percussion keeps a steady beat. Floating synth riffs rival the wavering bass, both of which nearly overtake the steady guitar riff that acts more like the actual bass line.

“Roller” is pretty cut and dry for its duration, though about two-thirds of the way through the song, there’s a bridge that breaks down any expectations it had established. Like water bursting forth from a dam, each band member throws themselves into the song–Rochinski belting out “oohs” over a harmonious chorus of the same, bassist Kevin Lareau steadily plucking along, drummer John Andrews beating on the cymbals, guitarist Shane Butler playing flickering licks. All this comes after a pause following the refrain, a caesura of the music, like a breath–and then the song exhales. And so can we.