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“Akin to the type of freak-pop perversion dished out by daring pioneers like Devo andThe Flaming Lips.” – Wired
“Sunburn’, from the band’s forthcoming X’ed Out, embraces the care-free summer dreaming of So-Cal pop-punk, crafting a healthy marriage of dense, time signature warping melodies and power chord crunch. – Pitchfork
“Experimental indie rockers Tera Melos just sent us their hooky new track “Sunburn,” and we’ve had it stuck in our heads… You can hear hints of mid-90s Chicago indie, Hella, and HEALTH all over it.” – Vice Nosey ‘Sunburn’ premiere
“The Beach Boys covering Hella? You know ‘em, you love ‘em…or if you don’t, you should soon. Mathy, quirky, pop-infused rock machine Tera Melos has released “Sunburn”…It’s great!” – Alarm Magazine
X’ed Out is the culmination of an arc begun on Tera Melos‘ first proper full-length,Patagonian Rats – a super collider of 60s pop hooks, Minutemen garage-prog, post-punk evisceration, wiry psychedelia and nearly everything else in-between. Here, the Sacramento based trio burns and simmers simultaneously while situated somewhere without benefit of location services. It’s a nowhere land, X’ed Out of the grid, both inviting and daring.
From the very first fluttering notes of album opener “Weird Circles” it’s clear that we’re encountering an entirely new Tera Melos. Guitarist/vocalist Nick Reinhart’s steady, rhythmic palm-muted strumming and Latona’s nimble counter-melody glide the song through the ether like Tangerine Dream with stringed instruments. Reinhart‘s soft falsetto vocals hover at the forefront until drummer John Clardy’s propulsive beat kicks in short, sharp jolts with wailing noise leading up to a triumphant crescendo. Elsewhere, “Bite” soars with a chiming harmonized guitar drone smeared over repetitive, mechanical sounding rhythms. Haunting Beach Boys style “do do do” vocals lead in to the bubbly, rapid-fire notes of “Sunburn” before erupting into the unabashed pop hooks of the chorus. Mellower moments, like the swooning guitar drone and vocal harmonies of “No Phase” and threadbare-yet-bludgeoning “Melody Nine” show just how richly developed the band’s musical palette has become. “Tropic Lame” sounds almost reminiscent ofGoo-era Sonic Youth’s maligned guitar melodies — skronking, ringing, bending — while the whole band lean into their instruments to create a massive haze of joyful noise.
X’ed Out will be out 15th April 2013 on LP, CD and download via Sargent House.
