Psychederek has released an excellent new E.P. His second on Mancunian label, Sprechen. Back in 2021 we were banging on about his debut, Space Arcade, and in particular the track, Screamadereka. The tune’s title’s lisping play on Primal Scream’s Mercury Music Prize winning album was a bit of a give away, hinting at the dancefloor psychedelia housed within, and the Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Downtown Disco Dub, especially, was a party-starting freakout.

Alt! Is the first of the new numbers. Driving modern motorik, it bops to the twang of big bass strings, while swinging a serious space rock axe. Plugged-in and packed with plenty of joyful juice, the track races unruly, speeding through showers of synths. Like a fast, flat-out freeway ride. Top down. Wind in your hair. A little bit lit. Nowhere To Nowhere is still kinda kosmische, in fact the whole E.P. comes in cosmic colours. However, the groove is more of a glam stomp, and the vibe that of a ALFOS-esque dub disco drug chug. Serrated by metallic 6-string arcs, boasting tape effects and dodging laser blasts, like The Emperor Machine jamming with A Certain Ratio, it’s marching, heads down, mindless boogie. Hapi is similar, but gated, fluttering, chiming, and slightly more sedate, and there’s a cover of 808 State. Shoegaze guitar summons the ecstatic swells of the band’s Second Summer Of Love anthem, Pacific State, while fuzzbox-ed fretwork reimagines its familiar, beloved saxophone riff. There’s no room for loon birds though. Funky trap drums, care of Donald Johnson, from the aforementioned ACR, attempt to ground this euphoric version excursion as it climbs to a cathartic crescendo. A soaring screaming sonic high, Icarus-like it flies far too close to the sun, before falling, fading to a single syncopated jazz cymbal. For an old fogey like me, while obviously a huge nostalgic nod, it also feels like the mood is facing forward. Like one last look back, providing, perhaps, a sense of closure to those stuck raving in the past.

Psychederek’s Alt! E.P. is out now on Sprechen.