Oddplay - Inherited (2023)

Psychedelic Stoner/Doom Rock has always been a genre that seeks to explore the innermost workings of the mind, using trippy sounds and imagery to transport audiences to other dimensions. "Inherited" by Oddplay accomplishes this in stunning fashion, delivering a dizzying array of electronic soundscapes and mystifying vocals that take listeners on a journey that's equal parts introspective and out of this world.

At its core, "Inherited" is an album about heritage and renewal themes that are perfectly echoed in the magical, otherworldly vocals and lo-fi production that populate the tracks. While maintaining their signature rough but melodic sound, the band incorporates Bulgarian folk songs into masterful compositions with gradient tone. From the opening track "Hydra" with its rhythmic drum loops and initially bewildering but mesmerizing vocals, to the soaring crescendos of "Forest", which channels an otherworldly soundscape that recalls “The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices” but also features a driving bassline and guitar that swirl between a medieval sound and riffage. "Inherited" is a record that constantly surprises and delights.

Not only does the album feature female folk vocals, but it is also the vocal debut for the band’s frontman and guitarist Alexander Enev as he takes over the mic on tracks like “Sleepwalker” and “Lose All Delusions” to take the sublime and delirious melodic journey of “Inherited” into the darker avenues. Through it all, and especially in the final two tracks of the album, which are entirely instrumental (for all the OG fans), Oddplay never loses sight of their signature psychedelic sound and with “Fourth Dimension” provides a solemn but hopeful conclusion to an album that perfectly delivers on its central theme. Old meets new in this radical but contemplative outing from a band that five albums in continues to excite and innovate the psychedelic rock scene – in short, it’s a must-listen.