FOMIES, a fuzz-drenched garage-psych quintet from Switzerland’s Vaud Riviera, has conjured lo-fi magic since 2017. Born from a gang of four friends, they launched with a DIY ethos and a sound brewed from surf-punk and broken-tape garage rock.
Over the years, their lineup and sonic palette expanded, most notably with the addition of a keyboardist, injecting a cosmic dose of psychedelia and krautrock into their fuzzed-out universe.
From sweaty club shows to big stages like Montreux Jazz and Bad Bonn Kilbi, their high-voltage live sets have become legendary. Albums like Reversal and Sudden Lag built their myth; Ominous Prominence (2023) took it to the astral plane.
Their sixth record, Liminality (released on April 11th, via Taxi Gauche), pushes their hypnotic sound further into the void.
Liminality is best described as an engine of viscera pulsing over itself. The album’s evocative chords and blistering rhythms deliver a motorik sound that is sludgy and just plain old fun. Tracks like “The Pull” and “Neon Gloom” are unpredictable yet immensely satisfying in investigating their respective themes.
So much is explored sonically and lyrically with expert cohesion, such as the track runs of “Colossus I-III,” which bring to mind titans and machines, or “Pause Cigarette” to “Blurred Sight,” all being absolute fucking bangers.
This album is remarkable in all aspects. Influenced yet distinctly its own, it calls to mind some of the greatest heavy psychedelia of the past decade, but at no point feels derivative. It is fresh, funky, and chunky, like the holes in your throat.
Liminality is frenetic, wired in, and masterful. The Third Eye eagerly awaits to see where the group goes next.
Check out Liminality by FOMIES on Bandcamp here.
FOMIES: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook
This review was written by Cole Utley, who is a student and musician based in Salt Lake City. When not making songs for his project, called Fireball Town, you can find him running around in the mountains, studying for whatever exam he has coming up next, or playing dnd. He also enjoys cooking and climbing. For more information, check @fireball_town on instagram.
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