The Backhomes
Tidalwave (Independent)

If you managed to miss out on the Victoria duo the Backhomes’ Malkin Bowl performance at Levitation Vancouver, which many did, you can redeem yourself by getting caught in the undertow of its psych-pop masterpiece, Tidalwave.

Throughout, the group submerges us in a sea of distorted, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club–leaning arrangements and the undulating blend of organs and vintage drum machines you’d catch on an early Suicide LP. It’s an overwhelming mix, but damned if the Backhomes don’t play it off super cool.

“That’s All” steers itself straight into your third eye, with an exploratory soundscape of sun-fried six-string licks and shuffled rhythms that brings Kees Dekker’s distorted vocals from a calming “Om” to a straggled series of cries.

Cleaning things up a bit is the acoustic guitar on “Rays”, a song that juxtaposes its summer-sunset vibe with the downer lyric “No matter what I say, the clouds go on for days.” There’s likewise a sense of hopelessness on “One More Time”, which poetically examines accomplishment through the eternal struggle of climbing the highest mountain. On Tidalwave, it sounds like the Backhomes had no trouble getting to the top.