| Among the newest generation of bands in the tradition of West Coast psychedelia, Triptides have blossomed into the role of elegant adventurers. Led by guitarist, keyboardist and singer Glenn Brigman, with drummer Brendan Peleo-Lazar and bassist/guitarist Stephen Burns, the trio is continually discovering their sound through a complex map of familiar influences and bold choices in tonality, structure and texture. On their new long-playing record "So Many Days", Triptides rolls and flows into some new territory in a way that feels natural. The group has exchanged fuzz guitars for chiming acoustics, phaser pedals for pedal steels and Farfisa for harmonica. This is a transformation long in the making. Starting in 2010 in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana, Brigman was making albums as Triptides with roommates and friends in a raw, Beach Boys-meet-Cleaners-From-Venus cassette-induced haze. As the band moved West, so did their influences, and Los Angeles brought out a more sophisticated element in Triptides. Doors-inspired organ flourishes and driving, Stereolab-esque movements melded with the spirit of The Byrds in the Fifth Dimension, as the trio both on stage and in the studio opened up a new sonic world. After the otherworldly "Alter Echoes", released to highly critical acclaim earlier this year, the group has joined up with LAs Curation Records to release their forthcoming love letter to the Laurel Canyon Sound, "So Many Days". Written and recorded in the San Bernardino mountains, these songs show a more grounded and pensive side of their ever-evolving sonic landscape. A whole new palette of sounds is gained, but nothing is lost. Even amidst acoustic and pedal steel guitars, the songs are unmistakably Triptides. |
