The Third Eye

Who’s in the mood for some weird, experimental, heavy psych with many drone-like qualities? I usually am. That’s why I was thrilled to learn of an improvised psych-rock trio from Philly called Quiet Abandon that recently released a wickedly strange new single called “Spectra.”

Quiet Abandon has been making music since 2021, but they’ve been busier than ever over the last year. They added a third member, bassist/sonic sculptor Abram Taber, played shows with Boston’s Dyr Fraser and Philly’s Heavenly Bodies, and are releasing a series of live videos via CART Music. They are also playing a show with Bitter Wish, which includes members of the great Bardo Pond and Kohoutek. 

“Spectra” dropped on March 29th as a surprise before their show with Bitter Wish. It’s a condensed taste of Quiet Abandon’s sonic realm and has a heavier psych flavor than their previous work. It also includes some truly epic guitar fire from their axe-slinger, Greggo.

With a run time of over nine minutes, “Spectra” is strange improvised instrumental psych great for fans of Bardo Pond. The unsettling atmosphere of “Spectra” is haunting, and the barely discernible lyrics forebodingly breakthrough like ghosts in the Philadelphia night. It reminded me of the Pink Floyd track “One of These Days,” where the vocals cut in and tell us, “One of these days I’m going to cut you into little pieces.”

Listen to “Spectra” below:

It’s not Halloween yet, but for those spooky folks who celebrate All Hallow’s Eve year-round, this could be appropriate. Quiet Abandon recently participated in the 2024 RPM Challenge, which led to its latest release, Rapid Prismatic Miasma. The six-song, 78-minute collection of trippy sonic journeys offers a solid snapshot of the group’s bewildering soundworld.

If you like “Spectra,” check out Quiet Abandon’s Rapid Prismatic Miasma, released on March 1st and available on Bandcamp. And if you live in the Philadelphia area, keep tabs on Quiet Abandon for a chance to see them live. Enjoy!

Check out “Spectra” by Quiet Abandon on Bandcamp here.

You can support Quiet Abandon by finding them on Bandcamp or Instagram. You can also see all of the band’s links here.

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