The Schisms and the twisting psychedelia and alt rock swagger of "I Learn To Love" (Official Video)

 

"I learned to love / when the darkness comes to take the light / it's a beautiful drug / lift you every day and every night..."

The twisting psychedelia and alt rock swagger of "I Learn To Love", by Austin - Texas 3-piece psych-goth band The Schisms, is easy to fall for pushing different genre buttons all at the same time. The sound here is (for me) subversively cool / delicious and feels adjacent to Eagles of Death Metal blended with The Damned (just to name 2)  but then again the super sultry swagger guitar break (that first drops at 27 seconds in) feels somehow Beatles drug cultured and psychedelic-esque (circa 1968) like something from The White Album. This is to say there are a lot of layers to this spicy cake that not only span genre's but generations. I am loving the sonic spread here, the raw sound with space around every sound, the subtle production that feels real and organically grounded, free from over production and fake glossiness. The quiet loud aesthetic is appreciated as is the in your face aesthetic, so many songs (in my humble opinion) are obscurred with too much reverb, I mean if a song is shoegaze that is something else but I like bands that use reverb in a way where it doesn't stand out. 

Singer / songwriter / guitarist Carson Barker's vocal countenance can feel biting and artful throughout with guitar jabs that stick to your brain, Goose McCollum's bass lines feel powerfully sludgy and his 80's keys / synths elevate the very cool musical bridge, while the drum work by Michael Stockton is the tactile glue that holds it all together. Very cool track, totally alive and screaming from the bands latest EP “Tejas”  as recorded with Grammy award winning producer Stuart Sikes (White Stripes, Cat Power) a follow up to 2017 debut full length Moon, sophomore album Bender (2024) and two EP's The Schisms and Morendo.

In the end "I Learn To Love" feels like a spicy piece of modern grindhouse- cinematic and unwavering.

-Robb Donker Curtius

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5zwnQCVopVhwA9cVkomBPP

https://theschisms.bandcamp.com/track/all-the-good-things-3

http://the-schisms.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theschismsatx

https://legacy.reverbnation.com/theschisms

https://www.instagram.com/theschisms/reels/

https://www.youtube.com/theschisms

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The Schisms are an Austin, Texas 3-piece psych-goth band that sound like a cross between The Damned and Arctic Monkeys. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Carson Barker, The Schisms recently recorded with Grammy award-winning producer Stuart Sikes (White Stripes, Cat Power), called “Tejas”. Rounding out the 3-piece are Goose McCollum on bass, keys and vocals, and Michael Stockton on drums.

The Schisms, alt rock, garage rock, blendo rock, psych-goth, psychedelic rock, sludge pop, slowcore, grungy elements, "I Learn To Love" (Official Video), EP "Tejas", Austin Texas, swagger rock,