Band: Custard Flux | Album: Enter Xenon | Genre: Psychedelic rock | Year: 2025
From: Detroit, USA | Label: Independent
For fans of: early ‘70s Pink Floyd, Moon Letters, Regal Worm
Custard Flux is an act I’ve covered a number of times. Begun as an all-acoustic psych-rock act, the band has evolved their sound over the years. Oxygen saw them take a decidedly more progressive turn, and last year’s Einsteinium Delirium had them ditch their all-acoustic gimmick. Enter Xenon, in addition to continuing with their elemental album names, keeps with Einsteinium’s electric sound. The songs are punchy and energetic with a great blend of psychedelic whimsy and forward-thinking grit.
After a brief introduction, “Winter” is full of buzzing, wiry guitar lines that stretch and scrape over a fun and bouncy rhythm. Mellotron provides a creepy atmospheric backing during slower moments, and the occasional jab of synthesizer adds a lot of punch. “Opportunity Knocks” has a rolling rhythm, in contrast to the preceding song’s jerkiness. The guitars swirl in warm updraft, lending musical lightness to the song’s hopeful chorus.
“The Oblivion Capsule” is a drifting instrumental that calls to mind images of zero-gravity and star-filled backdrops. Glassy synths and echoing, acidic guitar are the main elements here. It’s perhaps a bit longer than it really needs to be, but it’s a pleasant enough song, regardless.
The opening to “Icy Tranquility” features a synth with a more biting tone, as well as a stomping rhythm. While still firmly rooted in psychedelia–especially the vocal melody–the guitar tone and pattern draw from post-punk. The mood here is serene, and the fittingly cold guitar tone makes for an interesting juxtaposition against the underlying warmth of the composition.
“Tomorrowland” is jumpy and taut with a guitar pattern that tiptoes forward unsteadily, augmented by dripping synths. This might be my favorite song on the album with the way it balances different tensions and showcases bandleader Gregory Curvey’s songwriting abilities. In contrast, “Superposition”, while an enjoyable song, doesn’t really stand out to me. The vocal melody comes off as a bit forced at moments, and the main riff just doesn’t quite hit my ear right.
The album’s title track is an amorphous, ethereal instrumental. It’s less an independent song than an introduction to the 12-minute “The Floating Chamber”. Custard Flux’s longest song to date jumps out with an energetic opening. Twangy guitars, rubbery synthesizer, and cold Mellotron strings swirl about. The complex instrumental backing is full of interesting flourishes and asides as the main meat of the composition tumbles forward.
As “The Floating Chamber” reaches its midpoint, the feeling shifts from restless and kinetic to weightless and full of wonder. Radio chatter, glimmering guitar arpeggi, and sharper, Gilmourian guitar licks truly cultivate an interstellar atmosphere. Even once percussion joins the party, its simple pattern only adds to the drifting feeling, though you’re unquestionably drifting toward something. Ultimately, the song dissolves on this pattern, and it’s a fitting conclusion. Though there’s no clear climax, I really like the way this song is structured.
Though that’s technically the final song on the album, if you purchase Enter Xenon on Bandcamp, it features a bonus track, “Les Mâchoires de la Mort”. The three-beat rhythm keeps things moving constantly, despite the rather sedate tempo. The atmosphere is haunting and Gothic, and the instrumental textures are wonderful.
I’m not sure if this duo of Einsteinium and Xenon represent a lasting shift in Custard Flux’s sound, whereby they eschew their acoustic roots. Each of their acoustic albums featured an increasing number of electric inclusions, and their transition into a fully electric band has been smooth. Enter Xenon is my favorite release by the band in a while. I still wouldn’t rank it quite as high as 2020’s Oxygen, but it’s a wonderful prog-tinged psychedelic record.
Score: 81/100
The Elite Extremophile 