REVIEW: Psychic Diet - It Won't Be Easy

Psychic Diet's "It Won't Be Easy" is an album drenched in naivety. Its wholly lacking in production, forgoing the comfort of a proper mixing for the raw"natural feel", its Centipede Hz style of experimental pop music is one not likely to sit well with most listeners.

At its core, the album is one of attempts, choices seldom seem left out. It reminds me of a quote by Kyle Fields of Little Wings "I'm willing to let accidents happen...I don't ever really start something and start it over again." Much like the washington based folk musician, Psychic Diet rarely ever seems to do it over.

The songs are immensely layered, noisey glitch textures and samples appear and disappear at random, drones of noise will be played on loop for the duration of songs or cut out completely at unexpected times, it is an album of attempted unpredictability.

It is not a pleasant listen, I found myself frequently wincing at the intensity of the sounds I was bombarded with, but this plays up well to the album's strength. It is something of conundrum, a pop album with no pop appeal, closer to a sound experiment than a traditional album.

The unfortunate thing is that, because each song is so loaded with sounds and ideas, not many of the songs sound very much different than one another. By the third or fourth track of this 7 song effort, you've basically heard everything this album has to offer. Songs like the 7 minute closer "Violin Tail" are harmed by their lackadaisical production far more than they're benefited.

The entire album seems to have been mixed at max volume, its loud, noisey, rambunctious, ambitious music. I could imagine myself tripping out while listening to this music - which is what the album sounds like, a bad trip. Its the musical equivalent of knowing something is just out of view and the fear that comes with it.

It's an experiment that I can appreciate but not one that I will likely return to.

5/10 Listen here: https://psychicdiet.bandcamp.com/releases