Band: Liquid Pennies | Album: Fore | Genre: Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock | Year: 2025
From: Saint Petersburg, USA | Label: Threat Collection Records
For fans of: Zechs Marquise, WEEED, Osees
Liquid Pennies is a Floridian psych-rock trio that dabbles in many genres. Their sound incorporates elements of progressive rock, electronica, post-punk, and more. This multifaceted approach lends their records a varied, exciting quality where the listener is never quite certain what’s coming next. Fore, their latest album, sees them expand upon their sound in inventive ways.
“Tapered Scape” fades in with a droning synth and electronic percussion. It’s got a slinking, groovy backbone, and subdued vocal harmonies lend it a hazy, psychedelic air. Fat, saturated, fuzzy guitars scorch across the cool electronic backing and add a sense of grit. Compared to its opening, this song ends on a powerful note. Programmed percussion continues on “Ready Tide”, but it’s got a colder feel to it. Add in the glassy piano and wiry guitar, and the fingerprints of post-punk are obvious.
The 11-minute “Echolalia” bears some stoner influence in its opening moments. Stabs of dusty guitar, vaguely “world”-sounding percussion, and an eerie organ drone all add up to a psychotropic atmosphere. The song grows weightier as it progresses. Vocals become harsher, guitars come down harder, and the drumming reveals some metallic influence.
Post-punk elements again emerge as “Echolalia” enters its second part. The mood is tense and energetic, with many layers of guitar wriggling across each other and fighting for dominance. There are some instrumental excursions that almost remind me of the opening of “Heart of the Sunrise”, where the band plays around with meter and rapid, start-stop riffing.
Electronica emerges as a major undergirder of part three, but it marries well with the heavy psych guitar tones and melodies. Punk and sludge elements emerge one final time to end this piece with an explosive passage.
The mood calms down on “Sight Skewer”. A warm, throbbing bass synth and whimsical guitar lines float gently by. The soundscape gradually grows grander, folding in the aesthetics of post-rock to paint a majestic vista.
Krautrock-y sequenced synths provide the main pulse for “Elliptic Triptych”. Whispered vocals over this backing give a faint echo of industrial music, but the song’s overall sound remains firmly rooted in krautrock and psych. Scratchy guitars and airy synth flutes trade off during instrumental moments, and these passages are simply super fun and engaging jams. The beat is hypnotic, and the solos add to the overall mood wonderfully.
“Further Ennui” is a simple, meditative interlude that focuses on a fat synth drone. This leads into the folky psych-rock of “The Bone”. Violin, acoustic guitar, and a pretty vocal melody combine to create something dreamlike. As buzzy guitars increase in intensity, I get flashes of grunge. Entering the song’s second half, the tempo picks up, and the mood becomes more lighthearted and fun. The inclusion of violins was a really smart move here, as they add a warmth and richness guitars alone couldn’t. From this song’s final moments emerge the album’s title track, a short piece consisting primarily of feedback, guitar noodling, and violin. It’s a nice, calming way to end the record.
Fore is a very creative record, and the listening experience is sure to keep you hooked. Liquid Pennies deftly pivots between heavy psych, folk rock, ambient, and more. Nothing lingers too long, and everything is immensely satisfying.
Score: 91/100
The Elite Extremophile 