Telepathe

In recent months, Brooklyn has cultivated its very own battle-cry: a processed, tribal psych yelp that resonates in every sound of the borough’s music scene. With their first EP, Telepathe follow bands like Gang Gang Dance and Black Dice into the psyched-out hinterlands with tribal drums, chanting and electronic noise all with the help of a good processor. Founded by former members of Wikkid, Busy Gangnes and Melissa Livaudais, the self-proclaimed "process” band pull elements from psych-folk, shoegazing and atmospheric pop to produce a cohesive and solid release. It opens with the spacey, "Pet Communicator,” the most atmospheric song on the album, which concentrates on sustaining the tension between the groaning guitars and mounting drumbeats. The album transitions, with mirrored tick-tocking, into "Blinded Mouths,” which overlays eerie mechanical chimes and ethereal vocals with solid thundering drums. The album closes on a charming but slightly out-of-character note with "The March,” an infectious, percussion-driven track with Kate Bush-esque lyrics. With so many bands treading similar ground (Livanudias also plays in First Nation, another chanting, experimental psych band signed to Paw Tracks) it’s becoming hard to differentiate one from the other. Telepathe’s sound is strongest and most distinct when they focus on layering the organic, whispering vocals and displaced electronic noise. The future will hopefully see them continuing to experiment and further defining their own distinct sound.