Graphic artist Wina Obake specializes in art with trippy sci-fi influences
When I started The Sonic Sofa, I threw together a hasty photo of my sofa and added some words to create my logo. About a year later, I finally decided to com-mission some professional art to make the blog even more awesome. Finally, I’m proud to present to you, the reupholstered new look of The Sonic Sofa.
I had an idea of the look I wanted to achieve: a sci-fi feel, plenty of desert/stoner rock influence, and obviously a comfy sofa. I was introduced to an artist named Wina Obake who specializes in the kind of look I was going and after checking out her work, I knew that I had found the perfect artist for the project. She was able to turn my vague ideas into vivid reality, and I’m so proud of the results. Please check her work on Instagram and Kichink and consider supporting her by buying art. She can also be contacted by email at pzicho.mustard@gmail.com.
The spacey new blog header by graphic artist, Wina Obake
In the months to come, please look for more big changes to The Sonic Sofa. I’m not going to give too much away, but the second season of the podcast is going to get an update, the blog is going to start having more content each week, and we are currently coming up with ad free ways of monetizing the blog. Stay tuned to the big changes in the second year of the blog and as always, go in peace and rock on, Sofanauts.
Based in Southern California, Billy Tsounis is a psychedelic rock guitarist who records and performs with his band, the Amazing Androids. The band produces instrumental, heavy psych music that will take you out of your mind and on a musical journey through the sonic cosmos. If you’re a fan of bands like Dhidalah, you’re going to dig the hypnotic psych sound of Billy Tsounis and the Amazing Androids.
Warp Delights is the band’s eighth album. Released on October 2, 2019, it’s a followup to 2017’s Pimped by the Gods. The album features Billy Tsounis on guitars, Aris Weathersby on bass, Lucas Marquardt on electric cello, and Will Rury on drums. The album was recorded with a mix of analog and digital equipment, and each track was taped live in order to achieve the freshest sound and energy possible. The band went with the first or second take of each song. The experimental tracks take you on a sonic voyage through layers of psychedelic guitar tones, underscored by crisp drums and a beefy bass tone. The album can be found on Bandcamp for digital download. Here’s the tracklist:
Cow Lands Eats Pilot (2:44)
Serene (3:13)
Gone Swamp Shopping (7:51)
Too Nervous to Reincarnate (6:16)
Last Dance Space Boots (3:54)
Babalas Lilo (9:58)
Becoming Butterfly (6:08)
Messy Nostalgia Machines (7:05)
The album is perfect for sinking into the sofa and spacing out with the trance-inducing rhythms. There are long, spacey tracks like Babalas Lilo with it’s driving bass and phasing guitars, and the droney Gone Swamp Shopping; each conveys the album’s live, experimental feel. The waltzy track, Last Dance Space Boots will hook listeners with its catchy guitar lead, and Becoming Butterfly is a dreamy track that will lull you away on iridescent wings.
Podcast Transcript: I’m The Purlenaut and you’ve landed on the Sonic Sofa, your home for stoner rock reviews and podcasts. Check out thesonicsofa.blog to read lots of articles and hear some awesome music. This month, we’ll be scientifically analyzing some extraterrestrial music specimens by Torche, Lewis and the Strange Magics, and Howling Giant. We’re in for a heavy ride, so buckle up, become one with The Sofa, and prepare for liftoff.
Admission, released by Torche on July 12th
First up is Torche. Torche is a four-piece heavy metal band from from Miami, Florida. Their music has got heavy riffs and harmonic vocals. The band formed in 2004 and have released five full lengths and four EPs. Released by Relapse Records on July 12, Admission is their fifth album and it’s an absolute juggernaut. Here’s a track called Times Missing.
Melvin’s Holiday, released by Lewis and the Strange Magics on September 6th
That was Torche with the song, Times Missing, off of their new album, Admission. Next up, on The Sonic Sofa, is Lewis and the Strange Magics. They’re a heavy-psych band from Barcelona, Spain. The band produces groovy, stylish, psychedelic music, with strong funk and jam undercurrents. The band just released their third full length, Melvin’s Holiday. It was released on September 6, 2019. It’s a concept album made up of nine, 1960’s and 70’s inspired, tracks that tell the story of Melvin, a rich man who divorces his wife and takes off on holiday in the Mediterranean, where he seeks happiness but finds only loneliness. Here’s a track from that album called Sad in Paradise.
The Space Between Worlds, released by Howling Giant on September 27th
And that was Sad in Paradise, from the new album Melvin’s Holiday, by Lewis and the Strange Magics. Up next, on The Sonic Sofa, is Howling Giant. After three solid EP’s, the Nashville, TN band has released their debut album, adding to their consistently heavy and creative catalogue of sci-fi influenced stoner-rock. Released on September 27th, The Space Between Worlds continues the band’s tradition of producing tight, heavy music with melodic vocals that tell an epic science fiction narrative. According to a statement by the band, the new album “is a concept album that follows the story of a huntress who travels the infinite metaphysical worlds brought into being by the dreams of humankind. In these realms, she encounters a dream eater which threatens to unravel the fabric of reality by devouring dreamers and destroying the dimensional gateways.” So there we go. Here’s a track from that album called Comet Rider.
And that was Howling Giant with the song, Comet Rider, from their new album, The Space Between Worlds. Thanks for listening to the Sonic Sofa podcast. Check out the Sonic Sofa on mixcloud.com/purlenaut and thesonicsofa.blog. Please support the bands by buying their music and merch. If you have music or an artist that you think should be featured on the blog or podcast, contact The Purlenaut at thesonicsofashow@gmail.com. Go in peace and rock on, Sofanauts.
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