Translucid EP Review by Narada C

I came across this band from Stoke-on-Trent while I was wandering in twitter land and their psychedelic rock immediately caught my ear.

They’re kind of new although they’ve been around for just over 5 years. They were formerly known as The Riots and if you visit their MySpace they still have that name there despite being Translucid since 2011. They underwent plenty of changes to the line-up leaving just guitarist Steve Pye and drummer Joe Walsh as original [founding] members.

I’m yet to see/hear them live which means I don’t have a full opinion yet. But I own a copy of their lengthy [6 songs] EP which gives me plenty of enjoyment with every listen. The untitled EP was recorded between June 2011 and early 2012 with great input from singer Dan Watkin adding strong vocal work with the swagger of the Kasabian lot whilst Pye’s guitar work defines each song with hints of the edgier Stone Roses and the best moments of a 70s Pink Floyd jam.

To be perfectly honest every so often they remind me of early Kula Shaker minus the mystical side with the impetus of Hawkwind but with less space-ness in their rock. Whichever way they have a rich repertoire and enough ingredients to get them out there with the good working bands. Perhaps they need to be on the road more and even come up with a very creative video so that more people are exposed to their music.

I can easily hear “Can you feel it” on the radio waves and/or “Echoes” earning them credibility on a high profile Neo-Psychedelic Rock compilation.

They display plenty of songs on each of their social media profiles [Facebook, Reverbnation, MySpace] and I highly recommend you take the time to lend Translucid a good ear. They will take you on a music trip which may make you feel like you’re kind of getting high with your coolest friends. They have just the right amount of reverb, delay and backwards tracks to get you there…