When it comes to psychedelic music, I usually feel like I know what to expect from a song if I know the artist, their influences, or the general genre-sphere that something falls into. I recently listened to the latest album by Nick Nicely, and there was no point in the album where I could have predicted what would come next.

Nick Nicely first gained footing in the music scene in the early 80s with “Hilly Fields“, but has only recently begun touring here in the States. “Hilly Fields” is not nearly as off-the-wall as his most recent work – his latest album, Or A Brockley Afternoon is beyond anything I would have anticipated. Highly experimental, yet still very rooted in old-school psychedelia, Nicely’s newest release is trippy, unexpected, and a true showcase of understanding how to take extremely different elements and make them work in harmony.

“Facing Awayy” was an immediate stand-out track. We begin with pummeling drums, a plucky melody, and distorted vocals. What begins as what I thought was going to be a electronic-y track turned into something so incredibly unexpected. Guitars shred, a bass groove peeks through, and it all begins to build this tension that had me on the edge of my seat. The song ends much too quickly for my liking – I could have listened for another three to five minutes and been very happy.

The title track of the album begins in an ambient mood, quickly dissolving into bright keys, sci-fi-esque blooming synths, and distorted vocals. A tinny and an acoustic guitar join in, with peeks of slide guitar, bass, piano, and even cello! Many of these elements can so easily overwhelm another, and many, in theory, shouldn’t work harmoniously. Somehow, Nicely has coerced them into a composition where the elements are well-balanced and complementary of each other. I have no idea how he’s made it possible for a cello to sound off in conjunction with some siren-y/crash-y noises and make it work, but “Or a Brockley Afternoon” is a masterclass in how to take diametrically opposed elements, like a classical cello and synthesizers, and join them so skillfully in song.

“Tic & Toc” was very interesting to me. A call-and-response guitar riff opens the track, and it seems almost normal, until we venture a little deeper, find ourselves assailed by alarm clock bells. After we “awaken”, we’re lead through a sort of anticipatory tension. We keep waiting for the other ball to drop, for a breakdown, for the tension to resolve, but we keep getting brought further and further into the tensity, until we finally sit with this deep, almost menacing, distorted voice until a few strums on the guitar sets us free.

Overall, I really loved listening to this album. There was something unexpected and exciting at each turn, allowing me to let go of all expectations and simply enjoy the journey I was being taken on. If you were looking for something new in the psychedelic sphere or experimental sphere, this is the next album I’d recommend to you. You can purchase or stream the album on Nick Nicely’s Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify.