Psych Ward

"THE BEST GARAGE RECORD THIS DECADE" (ipunkrock.com)
THE URGES Psych Ward Stomping Ground ***
London has The Horrors, and here's Dublin's revenge: psyched-out zombie rocker complete with all the horrorshow ingredients: the devilishly swirling Farfisa organ, the bendy guitar twangs, the singer who howls like a teenage werewolf at a beach party. The Urges may lovingly recreate the primitive garage punk sound of the 1960s, exemplified by The Count Five, The Electric Prunes and the 13th Floor Elevators, but they avoid becoming too cartoon-like, sidestepping the schlock and focusing on the flipped-out mentalism of Read the Signs, You're Gonna Find Out, The 13th Floor and So Uptight. Recorded in glorious analogue in deepest Spain, Psych Ward is an 11-track shot of retro adrenaline and old-fashioned paranoia. They may be sucking on the rotting flesh of classic garage psychedelia, but at least The Urges have spawned something rivetingly unhinged.
(KEVIN COURTNEY - The Irish Times)




