Early Violence by Psychic Ills

This is a compilation of Psychic Ills’s first two 2003 releases, “Mental Violence I” and “Mental Violence II”. Also included are two tracks from around that time: “Highway Of Death” (previously unreleased) and “Red-Split” (previously only available as a track with the magazine Galactic Zoo Dossier). This material captures the formative days of the band, when their unique take on psychedelic rock music, melded the wah-wah fuzz and drones you’d attribute to that genre with My Bloody Valentine-style shoegaze. “The stuttering drum machine on ‘Vice’ and ‘Killer’ drags the ’70s-fixated psych-rock template forward in time to arrive at a more concise, if abrasive sound. ‘Days’ is like a brooding, melancholy Jesus & Mary Chain outtake, while the excellent ‘Red-Split’ veers into taut, metronomic Krautrock. It’s only on ‘Diamond City’ and its reprise (for the final, hidden track) that Psychic Ills’ more explicit psychedelic tendencies show. Flickering tremolo-pedal guitar drones and rumbling acoustic drums are the order of the day here, showing Psychic Ills at their darkest, which makes for an excellent counterpoint to the downbeat pop that occupies the rest of the album. Excellent stuff.” - Boomkat

When it comes to following the beat of their own drum, New York’s Psychic Ills have exemplified the phrase since their beginnings in 2003. Initially spawned from electronic-centered home recording experiments, they progressed into all-night full-band exploration in a neighborhood where noise wasn’t a problem.