While Austin has long been keeping things weird with a healthy psych-rock scene, the Australian city of Melbourne has been creeping up as the psych capital of the world in recent years. Although The Murlocs came up at the same time as groups like The Black Angels and Night Beats, the band has consistently been winning over more listeners as they benefit from the wild success of groups like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, with whom they have overlapping members.
As the release date for their latest album Rapscallion approaches, The Murlocs have never felt more comfortable amongst a growing scene of weirdo-psych bands matching the playful energy on full display in the group’s video for new single “Compos Mentis,” which sees each band member emerge from a trash can/trash bag as they jam the relatively restrained, fairly soulful, and immediately catchy track about vibing at the junkyard. “After a long day of truck stop fights, hitchhiking, and getting kicked off trains, our beloved rapscallion protagonist decides to spend the night in an abandoned junkyard,” vocalist Ambrose Kenny-Smith explains, setting up the clip. “Finding peace within the garbage that surrounds him, he begins to question his purpose in life and whether or not he’s in control of his own mind.”
Check out the video below, and pre-order Rapscallion here.
