Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Night Gnomes

Label: What Reality? Records / Marathon Artists
Released: 22nd April 2022

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets thrive in illusion. With an affinity for interdimensional imagery and a penchant for visceral refrains, the outfit have established a reputation as sonic sorcerers and masters of their own domain. On their fifth album, ‘Night Gnomes’, the group come into their own not through flights of fancy, but with both feet firmly on the ground.

This might seem like a strange conclusion to draw about a record with a title track named after mythic and manically-laughing creatures that frolic under the light of the moon, but Psychedelic Porn Crumpets have never been afraid of a little contradiction. ‘Night Gnomes’ carries all the hallmarks that made their previous records so well received while remaining the band’s realest offering to date.

Finding comfort in the knowledge that we’re all pretty clueless on ‘Bubblegum Infinity’, and lamenting whether or not to go to work on ‘Lava Lamp Pisco’, this is Psychedelic Porn Crumpets at their most grounded. And while the group have always flourished with cacophony and chaos, on ‘Night Gnomes’ it’s in the more mellow moments that we really hear the band shine.

‘Dread & Butter’ lingers through childhood memory with sun-drenched acoustics and spirit-soaring strings. Rippling echoes and sighing chorus vocals are a sugar-spun backdrop to the yearning for conversation and connection on ‘Microwave Dave’. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Psychedelic Porn Crumpets record without a face-melting solo or two (see ‘Acid Dent’ and ‘Bob Holiday’ for the record’s most freewheeling moments). Mixing tried and tested ingredients with finely-tuned finesse, the band breathe fresh life into their sound with their most dynamic offering to date.