Richmond-via-Tresco garage noir/dark punk outfit the West Wickhams have been painting the world in psychedelic shades for five years now, and in the process have left a tantalising discography in their wake. With the fuzz pedal pressed down and the amps cranked up, this tenacious two-piece have produced a nine track, genre-defying effort in Vivre Sa Vie that sparkles and shimmers and should garner the band some mainstream attention.

Rocking a distinctly lo-fi vibe, there’s an otherworldly quality to the West Wickhams; like The Doors or the Velvet Underground, this Surrey based duo have an uncanny ability to transport the listener to other, more ethereal dimensions. That’s primarily due to the band’s sound; like a half-forgotten dream or a distant broadcast picked up on short wave radio, Vivre Sa Vie is an echo from another plane, and no more so than with opening track ‘I Am Sparkling Cyanide’. With a gothic bass rumble and a surf-style twang on the guitar, it’s an intriguing opener and the vocals, half buried in the mix, only add to the fascination. The band offer an altered state, kind of hallucinogenic (but without the hallucinogens) and as such would make the perfect companion to a David Lynch or Daniel Melnick film. In fact, the aptly-titled ‘At The Cinema’ creates acidic, filmic images in the mind’s eye, a swirling psychedelic soup that dazzles and disarms (but in the nicest possible way, of course).

Operating as a duo seems to be a boon for the West Wickhams, they’re a compact unit who don’t feel the need to over complicate things and subsequently only one of these cuts breaks the three-minute barrier. But don’t mistake brevity for lack of substance, because nothing could be further from the truth. Each of the nine cuts comprising Vivre Sa Vie are a treasure trove, a Pandora’s Box of delights which means that this is the type of release that will reward repeat plays as subtle nuances buried deep in the mix slowly bubble to the surface on successive spins. It’s the type of gift that keeps giving and you’ll find plenty on this record that’ll keep you returning time after time.

My first exposure to the wonderfully warped world of the West Wickhams came via a support slot to The Lovely Eggs, it was a night on which they really shone and I am pleased to report that time has only increased their charms, but if you need proof of their hypnotic chutzpah, look no further than Vivre Sa Vie.

• Vivre Sa Vie is self-released and is available now (from here).
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Track List:

1. I Am Sparkling Cyanide
2. The Maddening Crowd
3. Carla Suspiria
4. I’m Spinning I’m Spinning
5. At The Cinema
6. Shock Celebration
7. The Conformist
8. Scandulous
9. The Damned Defiant!