Psychic Shakes - Psychic

Psychic Shakes

Psychic
self-released; 2016

​3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Psychic Shakes is the solo project of Max McLellan who recently released his first solo effort entitled Psychic. He has been recording music for around six years but Psychic was written and recorded over a two day period.

Psychic is a lo-fi effort and does give you a little taste of his music. His rock is guitar based but drenched in reverb. I was reminded of a more lo-fi version of the band Real Estate. The songwriting is solid throughout with melodic guitar lines and palatable vocal melodies.

He kicks things off with “Kings.” Right off the bat I was digging the groove. His vocals are slightly buried and distorted compared to the guitar which feels distant and atmospheric because of the reverb. “Kings” sticks with the initial vibe it starts with and rarely deviates from the main guitar part.

“Holy Solitude” is faster with a bit more energy. A little more separation amongst the guitars. would have been good but the song is super catchy.. After my second listen I was addicted to the vocal melody.

He takes the energy way down with “Stay Close To Me” where the drums are completely vacant. His guitar is notable here with lead and rhythm. I thought the song was a subtle deviation from the first two songs which worked out well.

He gets the energy back up with the closer “In Ribbons.” The song is basically an instrumental piece with very sparse vocals. The song builds until it slowly fades.

​Psychic is far from perfect but is a solid start for McLellan. He needs to be aware of the comparisons he will get to Real Estate. Other than that I predict more good things from him.

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