{"product_id":"pearl-mystic-1","title":"Pearl Mystic","description":"\u003cp\u003eOften bracketed among the latest wave of psychedelic rock, this tag is somewhat of a misnomer for a band whose use of repetition and reverb is not to open the third dimension or for some sort of flower-power escapism. Instead the reel feels cathartic, each fresh revolution of the loop a confrontation between the band and themes of depression, loss and anger -subjects close to the heart of the group’s vocalist MJ (“no enigma; we just don’t use our full names, we’ve no interest in being celebrities.”) \u003ci\u003e Pearl Mystic\u003c\/i\u003e is an absolutely thunderous statement of intent for Hookworms after a portentous couple of years of live shows and limited releases. Live and on record, like Spaceman 3, they were pointedly subvert the tripped out sound environments of psychedelia with a darkly malevolent punk menace; unlike J.Spaceman et al, there’s no chemical assistance, these concepts andfeelings come with clarity, and hit all the harder for it. The LP’s themes focus on a deeply personal narrative surrounding a lost relationship and a battle with depression that at its worst brought about, as MJ, puts it “a half-hearted suicide attempt”. Thus songs like \u003ci\u003eAway \/ Towards\u003c\/i\u003e (a finer opening to an album you couldn’t hope to hear) possess a gargantuan build-and-release infectious energy that juxtaposes with a subtext of a bi-polar approach to coping with loss. \u003ci\u003ePreservation\u003c\/i\u003e, too, is in keeping with the group’s live shows, though deals with existentialism, whilst several Raymond Carver influences are scattered in and among the bold textures of sound. \u003ci\u003eIn Our Time\u003c\/i\u003e is perhaps the closest thing to escapism on the LP, about a hill MJ would cycle up near Otley in Yorkshire after the end of his relationship,because it possessed his favourite view in the world. \u003ci\u003eSince We Had Changed\u003c\/i\u003e meanwhile is almost mantra-like in its constancy, new percussive elements joining those already on the record, whilst \u003ci\u003eWhat We Talk About\u003c\/i\u003e returns full circle to the first track’s themes of depression, and emerges from mixed field recordings including a backwards taping of a Hare Krishna lecture played down the studio corridor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - Green and White Splatter on Clear Vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gringo","offers":[{"title":"CD.","offer_id":50402289156427,"sku":"359431","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP.","offer_id":50402289287499,"sku":"359430","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/29762863-59a4-4037-a399-55da96a3b4cf_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726539258","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/pearl-mystic-1","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}