Drug Hunt serve up a multi-course menu of tasty psychedelic snacks on their meaty, satisfying debut album Feast — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Stoner rock and prog, post-punk and noise, blues and noir jazz, garage-rock and metal; these San Diego throwbacks toss them all into the slow-cooker and simmer them down into a thick, darkly rich sonic stew that sticks to your ribs while leaving you hungry for more. Their unique recipe — featuring ingredients straight from the ’60s and ’70s — has earned them cinematic analogies such as “Tarantinoesque” and “biker-bar Pink Floyd” for their raw and ethereal performances. As they say: Imagine a Doors album produced by Steve Albini, written by Nick Cave and fronted by The Stooges.
As they also say: Feast was born from the crucible of existential turmoil and internal discord. It serves as a beacon of the band’s resilience, embodying their newfound artistic focus and sonic evolution. With each track meticulously crafted, the album showcases a dynamic range that defies conventional boundaries, inviting listeners on an immersive and sinuous rock sound that delves into the psyche of hedonism, dogma, politics, power, love, reinvention, and the earnest call to define oneself as both humans and artists.
The record shifts from horn-led marches to all-out psychedelic freakouts. Every corner is pumped with sonic light featuring captivating contributions from a lineup of esteemed collaborators. Backing vocals from the talented Jess Roberts (Deap Vally, The Everettes), brass and flute arrangements courtesy of Willi Flemming and Jesse Audelo (Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Fresh Veggies Micro Brass), and the percussive ruminations of Matt Bozzone (Space Hall Sound Machine, Mitchum Yacoub).
In short, Feast is a pensive record injected with 12cc’s of unadulterated adrenaline. Its first single Jungle is a psych/thrash anthem that would have fit perfectly into the repertoire of The Butthole Surfers during the ElectriclarryLand era. It’s a pinch of Metz, steeped in Sleep, baked in Frank Zappa Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, and plated with Drug Hunt’s own unique vision. The song starts off frenetic and driving, stacking fuzzed-out riffs, long delays, and contoured accents before capsizing into a melodic-laden finale that drifts aimlessly towards sweet oblivion as the lyrics illustrate the unwavering march of mankind’s apocalyptic quest for domination and destruction:
“Into the heart of darkness
I steer my boat upstream
The tide’s unending pirouette
Moves faster than it seems
The council’s here
Lion, snake, and man
We’ve signed a truce just narrowly
A war against the land.”
At the core of Drug Hunt’s distinctive sound lies the enduring partnership of childhood friends: Guitarists and vocalists Rory Morison and Jason Meyers. Their musical collaboration began at the age of 17 and continued sporadically throughout their travels to San Francisco, L.A., Oaxaca, Chiapas, and eventually upon their return to San Diego.
“Drug Hunt has undergone countless transformations, with a revolving door of friends and musicians shaping our sound and vision,” Morison says. “We call it an egalitarian anarchy, strung together by many influences, perspectives, agreements, and conflicts. Even through all the shifting and sifting, we’ve been able to maintain a sense of collaboration — a desire to push boundaries and challenge each other’s status quo (laughing), even if it’s incredibly challenging at times.”
Morison believes that this is the strongest and most unified lineup to date with Nick Sinutko on keys, Adam Baumhardt on bass, and Declan Halloran (El Vez, Dani Bell and the Tarantist) on drums. In the past, Drug Hunt have supported bands such as Wand, Earthless, Black Mountain, Dead Meadow, Howlin Rain, Surfbort, Spoon Benders, Meatbodies, Death Valley Girls and Ty Segall.
Initial tracking and final mixing for Feast was done at Earthling Studio with engineer Mike Kamoo (Frankie and The Witch Fingers), overdubs and production by Rory Morison at El Cañon del Tigre and mastered by Nathan Joyner (Metz). The album art features the uncanny yet beautiful collaboration between acclaimed photographer Becky DiGiglio and the innovative art and layout design of Andrew McGranahan.
Dig into Feast below, watch the video for Kingdom above, and join Drug Hunt on their website and Facebook.
