Not as much an album, more the soundtrack for a short film.

That being said, a soundtrack is an album, but not in the traditional essence. Styles stick and alternate from track to track on Departure, with several influences from the 70’s onwards, mingling together with the tendencies of 21st century psychedelic rock.

On lead single and Departure opener, Mad Mary Jones, psychedelic and electronica tie together the close resemblances towards one another, in the modification of guitar tampering and synth soundwaves. Monotone vocals oddly sway across the harsh electric buzz as guitar tones become more apparent, and digress into recognisable riffs.

Following on from the madness of Mary Jones, Never Satisfied transports to the golden age for psychedelic rock and blues rock, rubbing elbows with the likes of The Rolling Stones and Hendrix (metaphorically of course). Breezy blues rock slides in and out of consistent chords and momentary rises, as an under layer of psychedelic ‘wobing’ gives Never Satisfied an authentic, 70’s vibe, that feels like the background music for a teen drama in the 90’s. Impossibly catchy. Similarly on Before The Evening’s Thru, the familiarity of the 70’s guitar styles, oozes underneath a layer of modern synthesised psychedelic tones, before a rise in the chorus assures the bands allegiance to classic rock’s magic.

Rather strangely and yet somewhat brilliantly on 6AM, the hardcore punk styles found on Merchandise’s Schoolyard, part ways to fuse together with The Vacant Lots, ludicrous rock, post pop beats on this quizzically brilliant track. A vortex of hysteric noise open up 6AM, dwelling into it’s past at 12AM, where the party had just begun; progressing back to the current time of 6AM, where a never ending configuration of riffs and drum beats, play in unison as you pray it’ll never end.

The final surprise from Departure however, comes from the gigantic, ten minutes exactly, Make The Connection. A constant wave of fuzz and blissful psych that flies by in what feels like four minutes.

Departure’s multiple personalities work together in perfect harmony, with a consistent psychedelic rock style, as the key theme to Departure’s story. When the more fashionable, 70’s and 80’s film tracks styles are adopted, the youth of yesterday can be seen, spiralling out of the flashing dots of the artwork. In a final combination of all of Departure’s genres, the combinations, whether it be punk and psychedelic or blues and electronica, every track mediates the true potential, of an album that’s as lucid as the A class drugs, familiarised with the psychedelic genre.

8.4

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