Album number four from Chilean psych-pop act
the Holydrug Couple
sees the duo moving into more melodic, though still defiantly cerebral, territory. The project of multi-instrumentalist and mastermind
Ives Sepulveda
and drummer
Manuel Parra
,
has been a mainstay of the
Sacred Bones
label since 2011, veering in style from the swirling lo-fi psych of 2013's
Noctuary
to the sleek synth-led tones of 2015's Europop-inspired
Moonlust
. Moving away from some of the more ambient aspects of 2017's dreamy
Soundtrack for Pantanal
Hyper Super Mega
is, according to the band, modeled more on the classic pop constructions of masters like
the Beatles
and
Beach Boys
, albeit fed through the wonky
Holydrug
filter. A thick, blown-out feeling pervades most of the record, which mixes a harsh D.I.Y. patina with tuneful arrangements that might come across as breezy in a less affected guise. With its pervasive synth-bass and syrupy falsetto, "Waterfalls" pours down in a smoky haze while closer "Mercury Lake" loops on and on in a technicolor fug before surging to its conclusion in a barrage of tidal overdrive. As a whole,
is more experimental and textural than pop, which is in keeping with the band's history. ~ Timothy Monger