The Rise of Neo-Psychedelic Rock

The neo-psychedelic rock sound is definitely having a moment right now. But what is it, exactly? And where did it come from?

The Origins of Neo-Psychedelic Rock

The neo-psychedelic rock movement originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a form of alternative rock. The style is characterized by a return to the musical elements and production values of psychedelia, incorporating modern technology and electronic instruments.

The influence of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as psyrock or garage rock, is a genre of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. The music typically incorporates one or more elements of psychedelia, such as distorted guitars, trippy lyrics, and drug-related imagery.

Psychedelic rock first emerged in the mid-1960s with bands like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds experimenting with drug culture and Eastern spiritualism. Psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms were often used by these bands to achieve altered states of consciousness, which they then attempted to replicate in their music.

In the 1970s, psychedelia began to fall out of fashion, but a new generation of bands began to experiment with the genre in the 1980s. These so-called “neo-psychedelic” bands (including The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and Spacemen 3) incorporated elements of alternative rock, shoegaze, and post-punk into their sound while still retaining an overall psychedelic sensibility.

Today, psychedelic rock is enjoying something of a renaissance thanks to bands like Tame Impala, The Growlers, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra who are keeping the spirit of psyrock alive for a new generation of music fans.

The influence of Punk Rock

While many people associate neo-psychedelic music with the 60s and 70s, the genre actually has its roots in the punk scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Bands like Television, Talking Heads, and the Pixies were all influenced by psychedelic music, but they created a new sound that was more aggressive and deconstructed than the peace-and-love sounds of their predecessors. These bands brought elements of psychedelia into the punk world, layering distorted guitars over complex rhythms and using feedback to create an expansive, mind-bending sound.

The Mainstream Success of Neo-Psychedelic Rock

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, neo-psychedelic rock saw a resurgence in popularity. Bands like Tame Impala and MGMT mixed elements of classic psychedelic rock with modern pop and indie sensibilities, resulting in a sound that was both fresh and familiar. The success of these bands helped to bring neo-psychedelic rock into the mainstream, and the genre has continued to grow in popularity in the years since.

The impact of Nirvana

The release of Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” in 1991 marked a major turning point for the music industry. For the first time in years, Alternative Rock was thrust into the mainstream spotlight. From that point on, the Alternative Rock scene would never be the same.

Nirvana’s success had a ripple effect that reached far beyond the realms of Alternative Rock. One of the most significant genres to be impacted by Nirvana’s success was Neo-Psychedelia.

Also known as “Paisley Underground”, Neo-Psychedelia was a subgenre of Alternative Rock that was characterized by its psychedelic influences. The genre had been circulating in underground circles for years before Nirvana broke through, but it wasn’t until after “Nevermind” that Neo-Psychedelia began to gain mainstream traction.

Nirvana’s success proved that there was an audience for this type of music, and dozens of Neo-Psychedelic bands began to emerge in the years that followed. Some of the most successful Neo-Psychedelic bands of the 1990s include The Verve, Oasis, and Radiohead.

The impact of Nirvana on Neo-Psychedelia cannot be understated; without Nirvana’s breakthrough success, it is unlikely that the genre would have ever reached the levels of popularity that it did. Thanks to Nirvana,Alternative Rock would never be the same.

The impact of The Smashing Pumpkins

While The Smashing Pumpkins had underground success with their first album, Gish, it was with their second album Siamese Dream that the band broke into the mainstream. The album was a critical and commercial success, helped in part by the radio singles “Today” and “Disarm”. The impact of The Smashing Pumpkins on the alternative rock scene of the 1990s was immense; according to AllMusic, “at their best, they [The Smashing Pumpkins] were as good as any band of their era, capable of making grandiose and exhilarating noise that balanced gothic melodrama with razor-sharp popcraft.”

The Legacy of Neo-Psychedelic Rock

The neo-psychedelic rock movement began in the early 1990s and draws upon the original psychedelic rock sound of the 1960s. The genre is characterized by its use of electronic effects, traditional instrumentation, and often surrealistic or symbolic lyrics. While the neo-psychedelic rock sound is indebted to the past, it also reflects the growing influence of electronic music in the present. In this article, we’ll trace the history of neo-psychedelic rock and explore its lasting legacy.

The influence of Neo-Psychedelic Rock on contemporary music

While the exact origins of Neo-Psychedelic Rock are up for debate, the influence of the genre can be felt in many contemporary bands. Artists such as Tame Impala, MGMT, and The Flaming Lips have all been influenced by the sound and style of Neo-Psychedelic Rock.

The genre is characterized by its use of feedback-laden guitars, mind-bending song structures, and trippy sound effects. It was a direct response to the more polished and radio-friendly sound of mainstream Psychedelic Rock bands like The Beatles and The Doors. In many ways, it can be seen as a return to the experimental and improvisational spirit of early Psychedelic Rock.

Despite its popularity with modern audiences, Neo-Psychedelic Rock was largely overshadowed by Punk Rock in the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, in recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the genre, culminating in a new wave of Neo-Psychedelic bands.

The influence of Neo-Psychedelic Rock on popular culture

The influence of Neo-Psychedelic Rock on popular culture is far-reaching and significant. This subgenre of rock music emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was defined by its heavy use of distortion, feedback, and reverb, as well as its fusion of various musical genres such as punk, pop, and metal.

Neo-Psychedelic Rock bands such as The Flaming Lips, My Bloody Valentine, and Spiritualized were hugely influential in the development of alternative rock and shoegaze. The Leesona-reverb drenched sound of My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless” album (1991) is seen as a major touchstone for the genre, while The Flaming Lips’ “The Soft Bulletin” (1999) was a critical and commercial success that further popularized Neo-Psychedelia.

In addition to its impact on rock music, Neo-Psychedelia also had a significant influence on popular culture at large. The aesthetic of the genre – with its bright colors, swirling patterns, and trippy visuals – was integral in the development of the visual style associated with rave culture and clubbing in the 1990s. Furthermore, the genre’s embrace of drug use – both recreational and spiritual – has also been cited as an inspiration for the contemporary popularity of psychedelics such as LSD and DMT.