APF Records releases We Are Doomed, the second full album by Oxford Psychedelic Doom band Indica Blues. The group consists of Andrew Haines-Villalta on bass, Tom Pilsworth on guitar and vocals, John Slaymaker on guitar and Rich Walker on drums. They formed in 2014 when they released the EP Towers Rising. A second EP Ruins on the Shore followed in 2016, and their first full album, Hymns for a Dying Realm, in 2018. The band has enjoyed top-ranking airplay in the categories of Doom and Stoner, and have gigged alongside Elder, Samsara Blues Experiment and Mars Red Sky. The new release was recorded by Steve “Geezer” Watkins at Woodworm Studios, and mastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio. The artwork is by Cristiano Suarez. The album is available for download...

'Inhale' has a very nice semi-acoustic intro which blasts us into a mean and dirty low, fuzzing bass and crunchy guitar. The vocals are clear and tinged with reverb, so that they float over the proceedings. Wah-wah guitar effects act as a nice little solo. The main riff chugs along from the five-minute mark, with a much longer jam-style guitar solo taking us to its just under nine-minute conclusion. 'We Are Doomed' imagines a catastrophic near-future scenario which leads to all-out nuclear war. It begins with two news clips – one from the 1950s and one from more recent years. These are hooked-onto by a single guitar tone reminiscent of an air raid siren. A moderate-paced full band sound comes through with the trademark low bass sound. Nevertheless, this does have a driving theme which both reels you in and pushes the song along.

'Demagogue' introduces us to a mystical bass-line which is joined as a riff by the guitar. This one doesn’t possess the gravitas of the first two, and is somewhat repetitive. 'Soul Embers' is a welcome change, with a nice slow and simple intro. The song incorporates echoing guitar breaks. Halfway through the heavy bassline returns, but mercifully the original feel of the song is not lost. And who wouldn’t love the guitar lead-out? 'The End is Calling' has a good throbbing beat with an unusual little chord sequence that isn’t exploited enough. There is no doubt the guitarist is given free reign to solo over most of these vibes. 'Cosmic Nihilism' encompasses atmospherics in the manner of late 1960s psychedelia. This is quite effective but countered by a slow and heavy Black Sabbath-like sound. However, the space sounds do return as background sound effects.

Closing track 'Scarred For Life' has more guts to it, but I suddenly find my mind wandering, as some of these pieces of music are quite similar. On the whole though I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this output.

7

Ty Power