Album Review: Intechnicolour – Big Sleeper

Don’t think that just because Brighton’s Intechnicolour can easily be labelled a stoner band that you’ve got them all figured out. Yes, the big, super-fuzz riffs come in droves and they certainly have a core sound, but no two songs on this debut are quite alike, and all of them have strong personalities.

In fact, their palette is broader than just Kyuss worship. Echoes of the lush psychedelia of Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins can be heard, with My Bloody Valentine and Baroness adding colour too, but all these elements are drawn together into a cohesive, thrilling whole.

With so much quality and variety on display, picking highlights is hard, but candidates include the dreamy Slow Moth, the bruising – and fittingly titled – Lend Me A Crushed Ear, and the rich Gallon Man. The drugged-up, 10-minute closing trudge of Tortoise brings things to a suitably epic close, a mini version of the album that drags things out, but never once approaches anything resembling boring.

Verdict: 3/5