Montreal's Psych Scene Comes Together for 'Sounds from Mothland Volume I' Mixtape

Montreal has been home to many psychedelic acts over the years, and Mothland has emerged in recent years as the scene's nucleus. Since the organization was founded in 2017, they've served as a booking agency, an artist management firm and a record label, taking whatever means necessary to spread Montreal's psych vibes to the world. Now, they've brought many of the scene's biggest names together for their first mixtape, Sounds from Mothland Volume I, due on December 18.

The mixtape features Montreal psych acts like Paul Jacobs, Birds of Paradise, Yoo Doo Right, the High Dials, Atsuko Chiba, Red Mass, and UUBBUURRUU, along with a few contributors from beyond the city limits, including Quebec City's VICTIME, Tel Aviv-born Gladys Lazer and Belgium's Le Prince Harry.

Along with the announcement, Mothland have shared the mixtape tracks by Paul Jacobs — who also drew the mixtape's artwork — and Yoo Doo Right.

"Thanks," Jacobs' off-kilter tune, stays true to his fuzzy, buoyant DIY rock stylings. In a statement, Jacobs tells Exclaim! that the song is "about appreciating the moments of creative inspiration, and acknowledging the fact that it comes and goes." As for the arrangement, he says, "I wanted to record some beats in 5/8 and track some bass on top. Figured I'd add some guitar since I have one. Then I thought, a shaker would really get this going. Next thing you know I'm singing on the dang thing. After that point, why not add some synth?"

Yoo Doo Right's contribution to the mixtape, "Marche Pt. 3," is a collaboration with Ottawa's Jasmine Trails, fitting her dreamy, soulful vocals on top of the band's jammy, kraut-adjacent explorations. Say the band, "This track was our response to Mothland's request for an irregular [track]/B-side/demo that would put us outside of our usual comfort zones. With the thought of making a disco song, 'Marche Pt. 3' is what came out of it. We immediately knew we wanted to collaborate with Jasmine Trails on this track, adding her breathy, enchanted approach to the song."

Listen to "Thanks" and "Marche Pt. 3" below.




Sounds from Mothland Volume I:

1. Gladys Lazer – ONN
2. Paul Jacobs – Thanks
3. Birds of Paradise – Money Trees
4. Yoo Doo Right – Marché Pt. 3 (ft. Jasmine Trails)
5. Jessica93 – Enigma of the Absolute (Dead Can Dance cover)
6. Atsuko Chiba – I Just...
7. Black Legary – Progenburger
8. The High Dials – Near Life Experience
9. Spaceface – Chemical Sea (Wash Me Away)
10. Le Prince Harry – Sea of Trees
11. Red Mass – FYI I Am a Dying City
12. VICTIME – Oui merci
13. Crabe – Un vrai maniak du blues
14. UUBBUURRUU – Spirit of the Black Hole
15. Sunwatchers – Zygotic Boogie (Live at Death by Audio, 2014)

Pre-order Sounds from Mothland Volume I here.