With a debut album as unorthodox and straight up brilliant as Annabel Dream Reader, one might assume The Wytches would be subject to ‘second album syndrome’. However, with their second LP All Your Happy Life, The Wytches find themselves at home with a refined style of their signature doom/surf rock.
As has become quintessentially Wytches, All Your Happy Life menacingly sets off with an eerie introduction, simply titled Intro maintaining quivering synths, into an album parading the Brightonian trio with a sound that’s truly incomparable. Spectral synths seem to take a strong hold in this offering, making tracks like Ghost House into numbers that wouldn’t be out of place in a weird, underground horror movie from the 90s – in the best way possible.
The first single off this album, C-Side, takes its place as a mesmeric and head-banging, ear-crushing proper opener to an album offering more of the same. Adopting their trademark rock-baroque style guitar licks, All Your Happy Life flows through a psychedelic dream of reverb heavy guitars and a stomping bass. Despite The Wytches safe home in doom rock on this album, tracks like Throned turn to noisy fuzz rock, and A Feeling We Get offers up a hauntingly melodic, Fall-esque 3-and-a-half-minute drawl over twanging guitars.
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Another personal highlight on All Your Happy Life is the completely intimidating and entrancing style on songs like A Dead Night Again where looming bass and drums guide you through a 3-minute slow groove welcomed after by the sauntering Dumb-Fill. Earlier songs on the album, such as Crest of Life and Home show The Wytches edging to what might just be their most assertive and shamanic release yet, with the adoption of a ballad like style, and divine crooning guitars.
All Your Happy Life is a doom rock album to the core, and certainly follows in the footsteps of their niche approach adopted in debut Annabel Dream Reader. The energy in tracks like Can’t Face It, and Bone-Weary alone is unparalleled. When accompanied by the growling and screeching vocals of Kristian Bell, slick drumming from Gianni Honey, and hypnotic basslines courtesy of Daniel Rumsey add to a mix of raw intimidation and vigour in a totally avant-garde practice.
The Wytches embark on a monster crusade around the UK later this year in support of their new album. You can catch them supporting Jamie T on his tour in October, or at their own unmissable headline tour in November. Tickets available here.
Pre-order ‘All Your Happy Life’ below, released 30th September;
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