In the spirit of our favorite holiday, this Halloween we’re diving into a record equal parts spooky, spunky, and spaghetti. No, it isn’t Eminem. Welcome to Geodesic Dome, the latest offering from Egotones. The band sets the scene with surfy, spring-reverberated riffs and a haunting old-time ambience, but as the record progresses, a sense of intimidating cavalier is established.
Check out the chilling video for “Cheng-Chun Bye-Bye” below.
If the Egotones self-titled 2018 debut was the sound of a carnival, then Geodesic Dome is a night-in-the-life exploration of it’s headlining caravan. But it’s far from inaccessible. Though steeped in mystery, it almost feels like we get to know the band even better here. “Inside Rain” and “Ella” make similar points to the debut, but with a great deal more conviction. Those damned emotional underpinnings are visible now, and benefits the record in a big way.
The production also stands out as it’s own separate element – the band manages to sound as old as they do new. It sounds like a modern record, but with the delivery of old-school tape, which adds another dimension to that emotional credibility thing we mentioned earlier. This was achieved to a certain degree with their debut, but the drum mix on particular on Geodesic Dome makes for a tastier experience overall. Album highlights “Harmonic Voltage” and “Interstellar Overbite” see Egotones at their most tenacious, nailing Satans Pilgrims style Spaghetti Western flavored riffs with copious amounts of Tele twang.
Despite it’s vintage fascinations, the record still has a modern sense of scope to it. Typically when we hear words like ‘cinematic’ we jump to bands like Mogwai, ASIWYFA, or Caspian around here. It’s not often that the term refers to an almost Western flair, a territory with many adjacent elements to math rock if you think about it. But that’s another story altogether.
If you’re looking for something spooky to usher in this winter, but still want to have a good time, you can’t go wrong with Geodesic Dome. Its dark, even vaguely macabre at times – but remembers to wear its dancing shoes. Er, surfing shoes. Space shoes. Actually we’re not even sure if they’re wearing shoes. Regardless, check it out on the Egotones Bandcamp here.