The Wytches - Our Guest Can’t Be Named

Halloween season is nearly upon us, and here come The Wytches, right in time for murky, rain-soaked, fog-filled autumn evenings. ‘Our Guest Can’t Be Named’ kicks off with ‘Zep Step’, a spellbinding racket that brings to mind the band’s earlier work. ‘Maria’ then delves towards The Cramps and early Nick Cave gothic-tinged garage-rock, yet is still laced with The Wytches’ refined, signature doom-surf stylings. On it, Kristian Bell’s gnarled vocals wail over the gloomy fuzzed-out frenzy like he’s demonically possessed. The aptly titled ‘Bats’ is a grunge-gothic-rock riot, while ‘Unsure’ sees the record swerve. As the first half somewhat evokes the more reticent side of ’80s / ‘90s alternative-rock, it then plunges into a doom-pop, pint-spilling head-banger. Overall, it’s hard not to be ensorcelled by The Wytches and their alchemy on ‘Our Guest Can’t Be Named’: a wave-ride of glorious surf-sludge.