The Third Eye

Dutch psych rockers No Man’s Valley combine the sound of early psych like Pink Floyd and The Doors with the dark post-punk in the alleys of The Gun Club and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, a fascinating mix (or cocktail) that’s sometimes danceable, sometimes introverted, always exciting, and a little weird.

The Third Eye is proud to premiere the group’s newest single, “Flight of the Sloths,” which will be on their upcoming album, Chrononaut Cocktail Bar, due April 19th.

Check out the video for “Flight of the Sloths” below:

No Man’s Valley released a dark blues epic LP called Outside The Dream in 2019, played a few shows, and then – bang – the pandemic hit. Like many bands, they were left to connect and continue writing songs via technology in those socially distanced days. Luckily for us, they continued pursuing their goals during the fraught pandemic months and wrote many new songs that would become Chrononaut Cocktailbar.

Once the band got back together in person, they bundled all their pent-up energy into “Flight of The Sloths,” which the group tells us is a beast on its own. The song is indeed beastly, with a run time of over eighteen minutes and a beautiful, trippy animated video. Jasper Hesselink’s haunting vocals hint at Jim Morrison amid the spaciousness of the psychedelic instrumentation in a track with a genuinely cinematic sweep.

The two sides of the new album perfectly show the two wolves inside No Man’s Valley: one who likes to write more structured songs and the other who goes nuts and howls at the moon with reckless abandon. 

This has always been the case for the group, but the new record shows this dichotomy more starkly than ever – a mixing of the dark and light, softness and aggressiveness. In these dueling instincts, No Man’s Valley has found peace, and Chrononaut Coktailbar is the result.

The title track has a funky edge, and Jasper’s more freaked-out vocals steal the show. It’s the first track on the record, functioning as a short, terrific opener, bringing us into the multiverse the band has created. “Love” is also shorter, up-tempo, and poppier. “Some say love is dead,” Jasper sings. “I say: check your head.”

“Seeing Things” is more subdued, as Jasper sings of mental instability taking over and blurring reality. I can relate! The fluid psychedelia of the song is smooth and a bit foreboding. As with much of No Man’s Valley music, a touch of black eyeliner is applied. “Creepoid Blues” sounds like the perfect listening in the band’s imaginary outer-space cocktail bar. The lyrics are on point, and I especially liked the Stevie Ray Vaughn-esque guitar mixed with the atmospheric and extraterrestrial vibe.

“Shapeshifter” is one of the harder-rocking songs, with Jasper’s vocals slightly muffled and distorted. Once again, the lyrics seem to touch on themes of alienation from the world, something many of us weirdo creative types can identify with. “Orange Juice” turns the lights off at the cocktail bar, bringing an almost bossa-nova-meets-salsa beat and more of Jasper’s terrific beat poet vocal delivery.

(Side note: The group’s lead singer, Jasper, also happens to be the man behind the Weirdo Shrine blog I occasionally collaborated with last year. Jasper announced recently that he’d stop updating Weirdo Shrine with new reviews, but the site had a terrific run!)

Chrononaut Coktailbar is a tremendously odd and boldly original blend of psychedelic rock and more brooding influences. I’ve been listening to the group’s 2019 LP, Outside The Dream, and I can see how their sound has evolved from that one. The new record brings a headier vibe that Third Eye readers should enjoy. If you like Chrononaut Cocktailbar, dig into the rest of No Man’s Valley music, including Outside The Dream and 2016’s Time Travel. Enjoy!

Pre-order the vinyl of Chrononaut Cocktailbar by No Man’s Valley here.

You can support No Man’s Valley by finding them on Bandcamp, their official website, or social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube).

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