New Candys is a modern rock and roll band formed in Italy in 2008. So far, the band has released a total of three albums, the first of which was released in 2012 and the most recent was released in 2017. This album, New Candys As Medicine (2015), is the group’s second album, which was well-received upon its release in Europe. This album came into my suggestions on Apple Music after listening to The Sonic Dawn’s album, Enter the Mirage (2020), which is an album I’ve listened to many times in the past few weeks. The group also had a song from this episode featured in an episode of the Showtime series called Shameless. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Thrill Or Trip” starts out with some really flavorful distorted electric guitar, which noticeably takes a somewhat dark turn into a really groovy rock and roll riff that reminds me of the Los Angeles rock scene in the latter 1960s. Oh wow, I really dig the vocals in the track, which almost have a shoegazing quality to them as they scatter about the backdrop of the soundscape, melding with one another and other instrumentation in the process. I really dig the jangliness of the track too, which makes the soundscape feel even bigger as the music progresses. Great track.
Oh wow, “Song For the Mutant” starts out with a super drippy, twangy guitar tone that reminds me of 1967 psychedelic rock, and is soon joined by a symphony of jangliness in the forms of acoustic guitar, churning electric guitar chords, some cymbals from the percussion, and a tremelo effect on the vocals, which remind me a fair deal of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and other bands in the BJM family tree. Oh wow, it also sounds like there’s also a sitar in the soundscape now, adding a really interesting raga flavor that adds to both the darkness and psychedelia in the track. I’m really digging this track so far. Great tune.
“Patent Medicine” starts out with some feedback from the guitar that seems to cue in a bit of a droning soundscape of sorts. Oh wow, this track is really groovy. The overall feel reminds me of The Brian Jonestown Massacre with an emphasis on a dark rock and roll and heavy instrumentation. Great track.
“Dark Love” starts out with some groovy, dark surf-inflected sounds that I’m really digging. The driving force behind the combination of the bass, drums, and repetition is immense, and seems to continually pull me further into the music. Oh wow, the track continues to build on itself, and comes to a super sweet crescendo of sorts before getting into a somewhat primal shoegaze-sounding groove that I’m really digging. Oh wow, the music gradually climbs back to the crescendo at the end of the song for a super sweet finish. Great track.
“Aphrodite In Leather” has a really infectious bass line at the beginning of the track, with other instruments gradually entering the soundscape and echoing about, while the bass line seems to drive the track forward with the aid of the strong backbeat. Oh wow, the groove at the end of the track is super tasty. Great track.
Oh wow, “Overall” starts out with a super smooth segue from the previous track, and gets into an interesting, effect-laden, psychedelic, introspective movement that almost feels reminiscent of TOOL. Holy smokes, the tune drops right into place into a quick, jangly, echoey groove that I’m really digging. Oh wow, the groove keeps building on itself and seems to be coming to a super sweet crescendo at the end of the track. The production of the track almost reminds me of the sort of raw sound in Tess Parks’ album, Blood Hot (2014). Great tune.
Oh wow, “Bones On Fire” gets into a sort of solemn sounding movement that almost sounds like the soundtrack to an injured cowboy next to a campfire under a starry night sky in the old west, as the twangy electric guitar and the acoustic guitar seem to be the only instrumentation aside from the vocals in this song. Great track.
Oh wow, “Mess” dials up the effects in this track, with vocals that seem to criss-cross with one another as they echo across the soundscape while the jangling backdrop of a tambourine and reverberated guitars creates a super flavorful wall of sound that grooves through the soundscape. Oh wow, there’s a quick breakdown in which the guitar almost picks up a sort of punk rock flavor of sorts, and has drawn me even further onto the edge of my seat. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Jolly Pan” starts out with a really groovy guitar line with a tone that feels like it’s from San Francisco in 1967, and a melody that feels like the psychedelic 60s meets the grunge 90s. Oh wow, I’m really digging this track. The upbeat groove almost gives the track a cheery disposition, especially as the different electric guitar sounds seem to echo and reverberate across the soundscape in a shoegazing fashion. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “Endless Deadline” starts out with a really groovy swishing guitar sound that has somehow pulled me further into the music. This tune is super interesting, as the drums have a somewhat primal sound with the big kicks and the spacious beat, while the overall melody feels like the band has manifested light into the dark sound that was present earlier in the album, while still retaining the same sort of flavors from the guitars and vocals. I really dig the wah pedal sound mixed with the distortion on the guitar. Holy smokes, the super reverberated, shoegazing guitar seems to take things for a final darker turn as the album seems to wrap together the introspection encountered throughout the album with a final groovy crescendo. Wow, awesome track and a great way to end the album.
Holy smokes, this album is sweet. I really dig the combination of reverb, echoes, and jangliness in the instrumentation that create a sort of flavor that reminds me of shoegazing and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and a sort of darkness and psychedelia that feels somewhat like the late 1960s meets the dark tone of the early 1990s. If you’re into The Brian Jonestown Massacre and/or shoegazing and psychedelic rock, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A