8/10

As one of the fastest growing names in the UK’s music scene, The Wytches have managed to cut themselves apart from their more contemporary counterparts. Their over-zealous use of guitar fuzz and reverb has gravitated fans of Pixies and Sonic Youth in their direction and helped give new life to the psychedelic surf-rock scene. And now with the release of their debut album ‘Annabel Dream Reader’, have they managed to keep up with the hype surrounding them?

After just a few tracks, you do feel like you’ve stepped into a bit of a timewarp. While most bands of today will look for a more modern influence to their sound, The Wytches have firmly set themselves among that late 80s grunge sound and made each other very comfortable. Each track has this hypnotic appeal that not only sets the tone of the record, but also accentuates the versatility of them as a unit and creates a great variety within the sound without losing sight of their core principles.

It is definitely an album with purpose and direction that will highlight the discipline this band has as songwriters. For someone in their early 30s, it will play as more of a nostalgia trip. But for their younger fans, will be a fresh dose of old influences that could help revive this forgotten sound.