BIO ~ Turtle Skull are a four-piece from the Australian East Coast serving a monolithic dose of psych-doom- pop. They’ve honed an experiential blend of warm melodies and ethereal vocal harmonies over cell-bursting riffs, motorik beats, and warbling drone.
With Being Here, Turtle Skull have evolved. A new lineup. A fresh approach. A leap forward. While the album builds on the sonic foundations of 2020’s Monoliths, it’s a different beast. Still hefty and considered but more immediate. Made for the moment. A record that values gut instinct over perfection.
Tracked live at NoWave in Mullumbimby, with a paired-back approach to studio tweaking, Being Here captures that ‘lightning in a bottle’ energy that happens when a band fully locks in. New member Ally Gradon’s synths inject fresh energy, swirling around meaty riffs and driving rhythms. It’s expansive yet raw, drawing from the likes of Black Moth Super Rainbow, Idles and Cause Sui with a nod to the cinematic sprawl of Spiritualized and The Flaming Lips. A heavy, heady blend of melody and atmosphere.
'Being Here' was much more about good songs that we had freshly written being captured live in the moment" says Gradon. "No click, no excessive layering, no studio trickery. The only thing that wasn’t captured live was the vocals. Choosing to self-produce and mix the album gave us the chance to preserve our initial vision, even if it nearly did kill me."
The album puts a spotlight on songwriting, covering weighty subject matter, from the life-force drain of social media to the relentless march of time. But it does so with a call to stay connected, empathetic and grounded. In this way, Being Here isn’t just an album title. It’s a philosophy. A mantra. A demand to be fully present, to embrace the chaos, the beauty, the weight of it all.
THE NEW ALBUM 'Being Here' ~ A new album of psych rock with a new line up featuring Ally Gradon on synth. Being Here is a peppery mix of 60's sounding pop rock and grainy acid suffused heavy psych. Vocal harmonies are lush and syrupy sounding similar to something The Mamas & The Papas would produce, not normally my cup of tea but with a burbling bass line laying the groundwork for edgy shoegaze fuzz a la Bardo Pond at their most caustic, I found Being Here to be a totally immersive experience. ~ Steve (Anointing The Sick Metal Blog)
