Weeed returns to Halfshell Records on March 1st with the release of their 6th LP You Are The Sky. Following up on their 2017 effort for the label, Meta, Weeed’s newest offering might be a less overtly trip oriented album, but it’s still quite the psychedelic ride. While the band has often inhabited the stonier side of psych and metal, on You Are The Sky they seem to delve into the Krautrock and Japanese leaning aspects of these genres–lending a more Prog Rock feel to the LP.
This shift in approach can definitely be heard on the You Are The Sky track “Where Did You Go.” Carrying some essential DNA from the previous cut “I See You,” the former song launches this one on a smoldering build up before blasting off on a sunny journey skyward. The doomier aspects of Weeed’s oeuvre have been replaced by a genuine playfulness here as tumbling percussion and billowing low end provide cover for Mitchell Fosnaugh‘s hide-and-seek guitar. Darting between the layers of sound, he wonders with genuine amazement, “Where did you go?”, just as the track’s high spirited melodic phrase seems to show up every time he turns his back.
Eventually, Weeed’s rhythmic section takes over on the cut. With members John Goodhue, Evan Franz, and Ian Hartley all adding percussive elements, the track bursts into a flurry of drumming before following a hard funk tack to the exits. The results are exhilarating and while the effort might find the band eschewing some of their darker aspects, a heady but organic complexity opens new realms of opportunity for their sound.
Weeed is currently touring with the Japanese psych band Kikagaku Moyo and will be heading back to Portland for their You Are The Sky release show with Dreamdecay at Mississippi Studio on February 28th. Check out the tour’s remaining dates after the embed below.
Listen to Weeed “Where Did You Go”:
Kikagaku Moyo Tour Dates:
Feb 20 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
Feb 21 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
Feb 23 – Missoula, MT @ VFW HallFeb 28 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studio – Release Show w/Dreamdecay
