Beans may well be the only modern ‘rock’ act that immediately falls into classic rock territory.
This assertion might appear ambitious, given the fact that they are only three albums deep and less than a decade into their tenure. But on Boots N Cats, Beans have well and truly grown into their velvet flares, delivering an experimental album that feels like deep cuts straight out of the 60s and 70s psychedelic rock explosion.
An intricate, percussion-driven release that’s instrumental at heart, Boots N Cats sees Beans meld elements of psych rock, groove, blues and more. Honestly, if I had to list every style that the group dabbles with throughout this release, I’d be listing more genres than the CD section at JB Hi-Fi.
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The aptly titled opener ‘Groove’ toys with elements of neo-psych and kraut rock, while also maintaining motorik krautrock rhythms. ‘Kookaburra’ combines Deep Purple grandeur with early Status Quo-infused psychedelia, while ‘Calling’ maintains a sneaky swagger in its rhythms – evoking the imagery of a cat burglar in a 60s movie while listening to it.
Other moments see the group experiment with unrelenting drum fills (‘One To Four’, ‘Silhouette’), influences of Zamrock fusion (‘Siamese Blundstone’), and melancholic dissonance (‘Haunted’, ‘Dreaming Daisy’).
Boots N Cats really is, from beginning to end, a trip, and one that’ll continue to firmly distinguish Beans’ incomparable flavour amongst the modern psych-rock scene.
Boots N Cats is out now on Fuzz Club Records.
