Altered Zones

Kuroma is the creation of Athens, GA-based Hank Sullivant, founding bassist of The Whigs and former touring guitarist with MGMT. His new Psychopomp LP, 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.-- Mary Katherine Youngblood, Visitation Rites

Psychopomp LP drops August 23rd on Holy Owned Subsidiary. Pre-order a copy here