The psychedelic end of krautrock has a tendency to dwell on the esoteric side of things, lacking a bit of gnarled edge as a result. Good thing there’s a Swiss band to counteract that observation! FOMIES from Vevey, Switzerland sound like a disgruntled hippie reaching for the bottom of the bag of nachos – fucking crunchy, that is. While they claim inspiration from psychedelic fringe-dwellers such as King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Osees, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, and Wand, they come across like a version of Om where they’re less interested in enlightenment than the next hit of whatever makes your vision go blurry (spoken like a true square, congratulations).
There’s a whole heap of grit to FOMIES‘ riffs, which makes them sound more deep-fried than a 4am gas station chimichanga. Off-setting this with motorik beats, subtle synths, and locked-in bass grooves makes their sound a whole lot more approachable, as do the mid- to-upper-register clean vocals. The fuzz extravaganza is the yin to the more chilled-out yang of the other instruments, giving FOMIES a well-rounded, dare I say balanced, sound. This much becomes very obvious upon spinning their latest single “The Onion Man”, whose accompanying music video we’re premiering for your viewing (and listening) pleasure today!
As we follow the exploits of the peculiarly dressed person I suspect to be the titular onion man, FOMIES‘ music opens up on you like a fine glass of gravel. Of course there’s the fuzz, the psychedelia, but there’s also a knowing wink and a whole lot of hearty humor to how the band wishes to present its music, which I appreciate. The levity of the visuals really elevates their music beyond its already quite engaging characteristics. I love a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s very charming.
“The Onion Man” is the opening track of FOMIES‘ upcoming album Liminality, which comes out on April 11 via Taxi Gauche Records. I hope that the album will only serve to confirm my hunch that this might be a band to keep an eye on. You can follow FOMIES on Facebook and Instagram, and give their previous music a whirl over at Bandcamp.
