Garage Psych
tagStarted 1966Peak 2009-2018Last big hit still active
Located in 4 routes
Garage drenched in acid: fuzz guitars, reverb tanks, droning Farfisa or Vox organ, swirling tremolo and chanted, echo-soaked vocals pushed into hallucinatory repetition. Keeps the primitive garage stomp but bends it through phasing, raga drones and freakout jams. Trippy, hypnotic and saturated in distortion.
History
Began in 1966 as 60s garage bands absorbed psychedelia, then was revived emphatically in the 2000s-2010s by a California-centric DIY scene. Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall and the Black Lips fused 60s freakout with relentless fuzz and touring stamina, with Allah-Las and King Gizzard widening the modern garage-psych template.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://rateyourmusic.com/genre/garage-psych/
- https://sanfranciscopsycherock.substack.com/p/22-garage-rock-glory-days-2009
- https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/the-50-best-garage-rock-songs-of-all-time