Kuroma is the creation of Athens, GA-based Hank Sullivant, founding bassist of The Whigs and former touring guitarist with MGMT. His new PsychopompLP, named after a mythological creature responsible for navigating the recently deceased to the great beyond, invites us on a psych-tinged, pop-fueled, celestially exhausting journey into the musical past. In “The Magick Deed,” beat band-influenced vocal harmonies glide across glittering guitar/organ/drum/bass/ synthetic/harpsichord melodies that simultaneously bring to mind early ’60s baroque pop and whimsical, late ’60s psychedelia– but also, somehow, Psychic TV’s 1985 track, “Godstar.” The track’s unconventional verse and melody structures play on those of “The Little Drummer Boy”– yet its connection to the traditional Christmas song does not easily reveal itself. Equal parts modish and camp, this Kuroma and Ash Sechler-directed video enhances our trip into the pop afterlife.
Words: Mary Katherine Youngblood
Psychopomp drops August 23rd on Holy Owned Subsidiary. Pre-order a copy here and check Kuroma’s website for more details.
Tags: "The Magick Deed", Holy Other Subsidiary, Kuroma, Psychopomp