Today, the riff wranglers at The Obelisk, who are celebrating their fifth year of apex underground rock coverage, offer up an exclusive premiere of “Gypsy Lady” from French psychedelic fuzz rock collective and recent Small Stone signees, THE SOCKS!
The fiery new psalm comes by way of THE SOCKS’ self-titled debut full-length. Slated to drop this Spring, The Socks was recorded and mixed by Raphaël Cartellier at Studio Cartellier, France, mastered by Christopher Goosman (Early Man, Sasquatch, Dixie Witch, Solace et al) at Baseline Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan and features nine tracks of road-tripping, booze-binging goodness where thick, glassy-eyed, jams swell into kaleidoscopic riff torrents, gristly vocal serenades and hypnotic grooves.
Elaborates The Obelisk of the tune, “Vocalist/guitarist Julien Méret solos fluidly over fellow six-stringer/backing vocalist Nicolas Baud’s keyboard work as drummer Jessy Ensenat sets the march and bassist Vincent Melay runs around and through the riffs in heavy ’70s tradition. If ‘Gypsy Lady’ has anything in common with [recently leaked] ‘Some Kind of Sorcery’ – other than being the same band on the same album, duh – it’s a righteous slowdown, this one arriving after two minutes into the track’s total five, marked out by insistent wah in the guitar and a classically doomed stomp in the rhythm section, giving way to a screaming lead and tense build back up to the original shuffle.Add to this a potent hook and I’m not sure what else one could reasonably ask of THE SOCKS that they’re not delivering.”
Adds the band, “The atmosphere of ‘Gyspy Lady’ reminds us of a bizarre psychedelic circus, going from a progressive acceleration to one of the darkest parts we’ve done. This song is like a trip through different universes that make it a perfect representation of the album.”
Get trippin’ with “Gypsy Lady,” courtesy of The Obelisk, HERE.
Additionally, fans can still check out the video for “Some Kind Of Sorcery” below.
THE SOCKS are a duel-guitar French foursome formed in Lyon in 2009. Their 2010 EP, entitled Side A, offered up five well concentrated songs from a band still finding themselves. Inspired by the teachings of Sabbath and Zeppelin, THE SOCKS supported the release by playing with an array of national and international acts, boasting intensely energetic gigs while continuing to develop their style. The next two years drove the band to write darker, heavier, songs that were more calculating and less frenetic. The resulting 2012 EP, Bedrock spouted a pseudo psychedelic, neo-grunge moodiness that proved captivating upon first listen.
The Soda Shop dubbed Bedrock “some pretty epic fucking stoner rock,” while Church Of The Riff opined, “The entire EP shows that THE SOCKS know how to write damn good songs. Everything sounds fleshed out and exciting, without ever getting repetitive or redundant…The riffs, vocal harmonies, tasteful solos and keyboard work show a band that knows exactly what they are doing.” The record eventually caught the ears of Small Stone Recordings. During the Fall of 2012, THE SOCKS completed their first European tour. Drawing on experience garnered from festivals and gigs alongside Karma To Burn, Red Fang, Truckfighters, Horisont, Mars Red Sky, Black Rainbows and many others with whom they share various elements while still maintaining a personality all their own, they were instant crowd pleasers. As the band continues to thrust themselves into Europe’s next generation of heavy rock ‘n’ roll beside acts like Abrahma, Deville, Asteroid, Isaak, Black Rainbows and Mother of God, Small Stone is pleased to bring their debut full-length to the masses on March 18, 2014. Further info, including preorder links, to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
