Aunt Cynthia’s Cabin
Misty Woman
(Black Throne Productions)
4/5
Aunt Cynthia’s Cabin play psychedelic rock with some heavy doom influences, and I am here for it. Hailing from San Diego, their desolate, sun-bleached sound is evocative of vintage motorcycles, LSD-fuelled key parties, and skulls nestled amongst cacti. Their latest release is a redux of their 2020 debut album, Misty Woman, with an added bonus track, “Magic Touch.”
I normally think re-releasing music for no apparent reason is tacky, but it seems to have worked in this instance because I had forgotten just how much I enjoy these guys. (I might even buy one of their magenta/cyan-coloured vinyl records.)
Diving into this album for the first time, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’re in for a gentle, folksy ride through a sunny meadow, as the first track “Kennel and the Dog” starts off with a relaxed, meandering guitar melody. It doesn’t last, though, and you’ll soon discover yourself wheeling across a scorched desert pursued by spooky bass riffs and blistering chord progressions straight out of a ’70s exploitation flick about death cults… and I mean that in the best way possible.
Fans of psych rock from groups like Graveyard, 1000mods, or Earthless will be in familiar territory with Aunt Cynthia’s Cabin, as they employ some of the same time-honoured stoner-rock traditions: liberal use of spring reverb and plodding bass lines give tracks like “There’s No Saving Cass” an ethereal, dream-like quality, while songs like “Rider In The Desert Sun (Part II)” are shoved along by punchy guitar riffs that’ll make you want to start your own biker gang. The title track is a spell-binding, sultry romp that feels like red velour and tarot cards, hand-rolled tobacco, and the backseat of a ’67 Camaro.
Misty Woman is accessible enough to make those that aren’t dyed-in-the-wool psychedelic-rock connoisseurs want to dance, but still heavy enough to have even the most seasoned metalhead staring at the floor and slowly nodding their head.
I’ll be putting this album (back) into my regular rotation, and I advise you to do the same.