Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets is an Australian psychedelic rock band formed in 2014 in Perth. Members include Jack McEwan (guitar and vocals), Luke Parish (guitar), Danny Caddy (drums), Luke Reynolds (bass), and Chris Young (keyboard), who began playing together in "an old horse barn in rural Leederville".[1] Their genre and sound has been compared to that of other popular psychedelic rock bands in Australia, such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala. They have self-described their sound as "an energetic mess of colour and tone".[2] Concerning the reasoning behind the name of the band, its members have given little explanation. The band claims it was chosen at random because they thought it was amusing.[3] The word crumpet may be unusual to some, as it is a traditional english food described in the Cambridge Dictionary as "a small, round type of bread with holes in one side that is eaten hot with butter".[4]

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
Jack McEwan performing live at Music Hall of Williamsburg in October 2019
Background information
OriginPerth, Western Australia
GenresPsychedelic rock, progressive rock, garage rock, alternative rock
Years active2014 (2014)–present
LabelsWhat Reality? Records, Rhubarb Records, Marathon Artists
Associated actsMeatbodies, Acid Dad, Levitation Room, Nothing But Thieves
MembersJack McEwan
Luke Parish
Danny Caddy
Luke Reynolds
Chris Young

Band history

The bandmates were friends prior to the creation of the band. It has been suggested that they became acquainted through their mutual drug dealer[5]. The band began initially as a university project for a unit that Jack McEwan was taking at the time  [6]. They then continued to make music for their own enjoyment, as well as for that of their young local community in what has been described as “garage rave” type settings[7].  They have made a point of retaining a ‘DIY’ band mantra, recording most of their own songs, as well as aiming to be very hands-on in their own advertisement.[8]

The band went on in 2017 to create their own record label, What Reality? Records. They have made clear that they chose to do this for reasons of "getting stuck into existence, taking a risk, pursuing ideas, setting goals and trying to dream big" [9]. The first release on this new label was a twin reissue of both parts of their High Visceral albums[9]. One year after the release of their label, though, the band still had not signed any other musicians due to financial reasons, despite the fact that they still held an ideal vision for the What Reality? Records as "a support structure for upcoming bands" [10].

In 2018 came the release of their single, Social Candy, which was overall well received and led to a brief national tour through October of the same year, passing through Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth[11].

In 2019, the band played in the UK at the ‘All Points East’ music festival. They performed with the Strokes on Saturday 25th of May 2019 at the Victoria Park event[12]. In July of the same year, following the release of their album, And Now for the Whatchamacallit, they embarked on a national tour passing through Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, as their hometown of Perth[13].  

Some of the band’s most recent activity at of the time of this edit (May 29th 2020) includes the single, Mundungus, which came out on October 9th 2019. The song has been described as "beautifully chaotic and explosive" [14].

Members

Jack McEwan

Jack McEwan is the band’s vocalist, main songwriter[15] and the member credited with being the main pioneer behind the band. Born in the 1990s[15], he and the other band members are of the millennial generation. After the release of the band’s record label, Jack is the member of the band who told the press that the idea for a record label had been around since the conception of the band, and that its creation was "only a matter of time" [16].

Jack grew up in England, where his passion for music was kindled both by his father and through playing in bands from the age of nine onwards, before the family migrated to Australia at the age of thirteen[15]. He also has a degree in graphic design, which he uses in creating the band’s artwork[15].

Luke Parish

Luke Parish is the lead guitarist for the band. He is also a semi-professional skater, sponsored by Soggy Bones, having transitioned into the sport from surfing[17]. He has been quoted stating that his biggest influence on the guitar is David Gilmour of Pink Floyd [3].

Danny Caddy

Danny Caddy is the band’s drummer. He played with Jack McEwan in a band prior to the formation of the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.

Luke Reynolds

Luke Reynolds is the band’s bass player.

Chris Young

Chris Young plays the keyboard for the band in the songs that require the instrument.

Discography

High Visceral {Part 1}[18]

Released in March 2016, High Visceral, Pt 1 was the band’s debut album. It included the songs Cornflake, Cubensis Lenses, Marmalade March, ..and the Addled Abstraction of Being, High Visceral, Surf’s Up, Gallop to Southport, Found God in a Tomato, Entropy, and Denmark / Van Gogh & Gone. The Album was received well by fans, being expressively described as "vivid electric spaghetti" and "a combination of wild colours transposed into sound" [18].

High Visceral {Part 2}[19]

The second half of the band’s High Visceral series, was released a little over a year after its predecessor, in April 2017. It included the following, equally interestingly named, songs: Nek; Gurzle; First Light in The Garden at Chipping; Ergophobia; Move; Buzz; Coffee; Dependant on Mary; It’s Not Safe To Leave This House; and November. The album has a similar style to Part 1, and both fans as well as other bands in the genre praised it with good reviews[19][20].

And Now for the Whatchamacallit [21]

Released in 2019, this is the most recent of the band’s albums. Though quite dissimilar to their previous works, it has been received well. The songs of the album are as follows: Keen For Kick Ons?; Bill’s Mandolin; Hymn for a Droid; Fields, Woods, Time; Native Tongue; Social Candy; My Friend’s a Liquid; When in Rome; Digital Hunger; Dezi’s adventure. The band self produced the album themselves, and it comes out at a total runtime of 33 minutes, their shortest album to date. The recording for the album took place "between Jack McEwan’s bedroom and Tone City Studios in Perth"  [22]. Some have criticised it due to its length and production quality. However the album was commended for the musical variety in the songs, described as "groovy sweeteners", to "full-blown 60s sonic acid trip", and "hazy rock anthems" [23]. Inspiration for some of the songs in this album has been said to come from real-life experiences of the bands in the fast-paced years prior to its release  24. The song My Friend’s a liquid was actually released as a single earlier in the year, before the rest of the album[24]. The fame of the band has grown both domestically and internationally since the release of this album, as by October 10th 2019 it had surpassed passed three million streams on Spotify[25].

Other releases

Other releases by the band, in chronological order are as follows; Buzz (December 2016), Gurzle (February 2017),  Little Moon (November 2017), Old News for New People (December 2017), My Friend’s a Liquid (November 2018), Social Candy (April 2019), Keen for Kick Ons (April 2019), Bill’s Mandolin (April 2019), Hymn for a Droid (May 2019), Mundungus (October 2019).

Bill’s Mandolin is especially notable, due to the real-life inspiration that Jack McEwan claimed inspired the creation of the song. The lead singer apparently received a mandolin from his grandfather as a gift, and the song is a tribute to the instrument and the experiences it shared with its previous owner[26].

Musical influences

The band has been cited saying that some of the inspiration for their music comes in part from the classic rock of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and The Beatles [27]. However, they have been influenced by more than just the rock genre, getting inspiration also from experimental electronic jazz[6]. Jack McEwan, the band's vocalist, has also mentioned that their style "is pretty much identical" to that of Pond and Tame Impala (bands that are often viewed to be in the same sphere)[28]. The band is also commended on their music videos, which follow the same trance-like genre as their music, and have quoted a myriad of influences in this sphere such as Monty Python, TED Talks, and Woody Allen [8]. As for the inspiration for the name of the band, Jack McEwan has quoted Mighty Boosh as a partial influence  [29].

Some contemporary artists in the same genre as Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, to whom the band also attributes inspiration, are Tame Impala, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Tame Impala is an Australian band formed in 2007 by Kevin Parker. Some of their most popular releases include the albums Currents, and Lonerism. Tame impala has achieved international success across musical genres, collaborating in 2018 with Travis Scott and Kanye West [30].

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is another contemporary Australian psychedelic rock group, formed in 2011 in Melbourne. Its members include Stu Mackenzie (vocals/guitar), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals/harmonica), Cook Craign and JoeyWalker (guitarists), Lucas Skinner (bass), Michael Cavanagh and Eric Moore (drums). Similarly to Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, they were acquainted prior to the formation of the band. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are known for the variation in musical genres between their albums, of which there are 16[31].

Psychedelic rock music in Australia

The aforementioned bands King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala both hail from Australia[32], making the country a hotspot for the type of music Psychedelic Porn Crumpets creates. Some even give credit two these two aforementioned artists specifically for creating the current Australian psychedelic rock scene[15]. Many consider psychedelic rock to be Australia’s main musical export in modern times, using additional bands such as Pond, Orb, GUM and more as evidence for this claim[33][34]

These more contemporary bands are not the first historically significant Australian contributions to the rock genre, with reference to performers such as AC/DC and INXS who achieved international recognition[32]. Some have asserted that this may in part be due to Australian government grants to artists and musicians endeavouring to spread Australian culture at a global scale, though the talent of said musicians is not understated[34]. The lead singer of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Jack McEwan, has stated that he believes Australia, and his hometown of Perth in specific to be a hotspot for rock music, and attributes the growth of the band partially to the live music scene in the city[35].

References
  1. Monger, Timothy. "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Artist Biography". Allmusic.
  2. "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: On Doing It Yourself and Touring Europe". LunchBox. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. Lavell-Lee, Jackson (2016). "5 minutes with Jack and Luke from Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". PILERATS. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. "CRUMPET | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary". dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  5. Wright, Lisa (16 November 2018). "Toast of Perth: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". DIY Magazine. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. Healy, Coel (16 March 2016). "Psychedelic Rock Influenced By Experimental Electronic Jazz". The Music. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  7. "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". triple j Unearthed. September 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  8. Clarke, Tom (2 October 2018). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: On Doing It Yourself and Touring Europe". LunchBox. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  9. Cameron, Tom (6 July 2017). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets announce their own label What Reality? Records". Happy Magazine. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  10. Webb, Dan (20 October 2018). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets talk labels, drugs and touring — Sungenre Interview". Sungenre. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  11. "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets enjoy UK radio success, touring extensively with 'Social Candy'!". Beehive PR. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  12. Skinner, Tom (28 May 2019). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets on their "raucous" UK shows: "There were people on the ceiling" | NME". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  13. Mack, Emmy (9 April 2019). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Announce 2019 National Tour Dates". Music Feeds.
  14. Cardillo, Maria (11 October 2019). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets in Concert • MUSICFESTNEWS". MUSICFESTNEWS. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  15. Leach, Darren (16 April 2017). "Interview: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". Glam Adelaide. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  16. "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Launch New Label, What Reality? Records". The Music. August 2017.
  17. Jenke, Tyler (19 August 2018). "4 things you didn't know about Perth's Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  18. "Feature, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – High Visceral {part 1}". Savage Thrills. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  19. Childers, Kyle (20 April 2017). "ALBUM REVIEW: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS – HIGH VISCERAL (PART TWO)". Supercorrupter. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  20. Puccinelli, Matthew (2017). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – 'High Visceral {Part 2}' (Album Review)". amnplify.com.au. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  21. Wilson, Jack (31 May 2019). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - And Now for the Whatchamacallit (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  22. "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - And Now For The Whatchamacallit - LP+". Rough Trade. 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  23. Speter, Tiana (30 May 2019). "NEW ALBUM REVIEW: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". The Soundcheck. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  24. Dally-Watkins, Charlie (31 May 2019). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets take music scene by storm with new album 'And Now For The Whatchamacallit'". Good Intent. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  25. "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets unleash wild new single 'Mundungus' – The Rockpit". 10 October 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  26. Wheatly, Tom (May 2019). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Bill's Mandolin | Raw Meat". Raw Meat. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  27. "Get To Know... Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". DIY Magazine. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  28. "PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS". LITTLE WING COLLECTIVE. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  29. Llerena, Carmen (20 September 2019). "Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Interview Highlight | KALX 90.7FM Berkeley". www.kalx.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  30. Macgregor, Jody. "Tame Impala | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  31. Heaney, Gregory. "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  32. "6 Australian Psychedelic Rock bands that have conquered the genre, Something in the water?". Savage Thrills. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  33. Streader, Kate (23 February 2018). "The Australian psychedelic revolution as told through eight bands". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  34. Elliott, Kevin J. (4 October 2019). "Yes, this band's name really is Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". Columbus Alive. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  35. Cowen, Bruno (21 July 2019). "Filling the Void With Psychedelic Porn Crumpets". Monster Children. Retrieved 25 May 2020.

Further reading


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