Reviewed by Nathan Ford
These guys can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. Their last album "Freakout at the Gallery" was a total belter of nuggetty west coast styled psychedelic folk rock which should be on everyone's shopping list. They've since added Paul Messis on bass which can only be a good thing, and their new single "I Just Pretend" / "Ain't It Hard" is everything I'd hoped it would be - except of course it could do with the company of another ten new songs to keep me really happy.
The A-Side is a new original written by the band's Marty Ratcliffe and jangles in all the appropriate places in a totally convincing vintage fashion, with just the right amount of gnarly riffage to counter-balance the sweetly harmonized vocals.
B-Side "Ain't it Hard" is a cover of a song originally by the Gypsy Trips, but more famously covered by the Electric Prunes. The Higher State's rendition reclaims it from the garage by adding layers of gorgeous harmonies and plenty of Byrdsian Rickenbacker for a cleaner, but no less authentic rendition.
It even looks like a long lost sixties artifact, with 13 O'Clock's orange label and a push out centre should you wish to make a suitable home for this in your vintage jukebox (where it would fit in very nicely indeed).
Buy it here. Pickup a copy of "Freakout at the Gallery" while you're at it.
Sample a bit of "I Just Pretend" here :
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