Heavy Moss emerged in late 2022, a musical union formed in Djilang (Geelong), a coastal haven west of Naarm, Australia. The band is the brainchild of four unique musical minds: Lucas Harwood of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Sam Ingles of Atolls, Kyle Tickell of Sons et al, and Bec Goring of Hayley Mary. Together, they fuse their eclectic songwriting styles to craft a blend of sweet, untamed, psychedelic pop.
Their debut single, “Star,” invites listeners into its dreamy orbit with a mellow groove anchored by warm Rhodes keys and a fuzzy, meandering lead guitar. Over five minutes, the track evolves into an expansive dreamscape, channeling Real Estate’s breezy charm and My Morning Jacket’s cosmic melancholy.
The song culminates in an ethereal instrumental outro, mirrored by its playful music video, where the band hatches a whimsical plot to contact two black-eyed aliens by branding their patch of earth with a star-shaped beacon.
“Treadmills,” the band’s second single, pirouettes through a jangly waltz, unfolding across shifting motifs before dissolving into woozy psychedelia reminiscent of the Flaming Lips.
These tracks showcase the dynamism of Heavy Moss’s songwriting, particularly the interplay between Harwood and Tickell. Tickell’s jangly, sun-dappled pop wraps around the listener like a warm haze. At the same time, Harwood’s contributions lean on ‘60s-inflected experimentation, weaving disparate influences in the patchwork spirit of the Elephant 6 collective.
Adding to the creative tapestry is drummer Sam Ingles’ “Melt,” a sprawling, hypnotic journey that nods to the dark, brooding psych-pop of the early 2000s, evoking echoes of Dead Meadow and The Black Angels.
Across eight tracks, Heavy Moss achieves a cohesive whole anchored by motorik grooves, jam-driven outros, and an ever-present ambient haze that lingers like the afterglow of a lucid dream. Enjoy!
Check out Dead Slow by Heavy Moss on Bandcamp here.
Leave a Reply