When a band makes a self-titled album 30+ years into their career it’s often intended to be a great reminder to old fans that they are still kicking and a launching point for the uninitiated. If that’s the mission with this newest Motorpsycho record, then mission accomplished. Anyone who loves heavy proggy psych that delivers on the riffs and experimentation equally should listen to this immediately. This album is like if Circle had hooks or King Gizzard had chops (😘)

The band has been refined to just the original member Hans Magnus Ryan (guitar/voice) and Bent Sæther (bass.) Just two legends and a few drummers to choose from, making another heavy psych trio (a flourishing concept these days, due in part to this band’s work.) There’s no large collaboration – no horns or drones from major credited guests. Just some guest vocals, the occasional familiar quartet formation with blog favorite guitarist Reine Fiske and some wonderfully recorded strings here and there.

Though theres no extreme shifts in sound associated with some of those past collaborations, all the Motorpsycho core stylings are here. There’s heavy bits, interesting textures, jazzy inclinations, some incredible instrumentation and a myriad of influences from across all kinds of rock. While other good bands make careers out of one facet of psychedelic, improvisational music Motorpsycho wields the full range of the form with mastery. It feels raw and interesting while being genuinely ambitious and epic.

Nothing on Motorpsycho goes as far as the best bits of their discography, and there are higher highs among individual songs across recent work. Still you could call Motorpsycho a return to form overall. I’d say that besides the very interesting but different Yay! (and it’s companion album Neigh!,) this is perhaps their best album in years.