It is only once in a while that we’re presented with an experience that can really be considered transformative. A work that manages to not just surpass expectations but enhance your understanding of what’s still possible in any given genre should the stars align in just the right way and grace us with something that is on a level entirely on its own. In my ten years doing these reviews, I’ve experienced maybe a handful of them with Big Scenic Nowhere certainly one that has stayed in my mind since the act came about. It was with their creation of “Vision Beyond Horizon” that I found a masterpiece that is still in heavy rotation to this day, and I was confident that it would be quite some time before anyone, including this supergroup, would be able to even come close to matching much less surpassing that album’s wonders. With their forthcoming work, Big Scenic Nowhere achieves what I thought likely in the near future.

It would be callous of me to draw any sort of comparison between “Vision Beyond Horizon” and “The Waydown” for they are entities separate in many different forms, but one cannot deny the threads that they so clearly share. Some of the songs sharing the same time period in which they were written and, of course, being formed together by some of the very best that psychedelic rock has ever known, virtually every given work from Big Scenic Nowhere is destined for greatness in some form or another. While it is always a good day to hear new material from the act, “The Waydown” presents to us an opus of desert rock royalty the likes of which not only goes toe-to-toe with its predecessor record, but it also somehow sets the standard even higher for this bombastic band.

The very best rock in this vein is of the sort that goes perfectly with a summer drive with your windows down, the feel of the breeze fresh upon your skin, and the sun glimmering on your shoulders. The vast amount of talent behind Big Scenic Nowhere has never been a stranger to those vibes. Things were poised to be a little different with “The Waydown” as pre-production saw a slight deviation in how the songs came together, but it would be wrong for anyone to even dare insinuate that this record doesn’t have that impeccable vibe of pure intoxication and sunlight the likes of which is the holy grail in many corners in this realm of rock music. Overloaded with riffs and glory of a breed only the best are able to conjure, “The Waydown” is the definition of infectious, but it’s far more than a mere collection of well-done melodies. Rather, “The Waydown” is a magnificent blend of all the sound is capable of from sweeping rhythms to deep ravines of color to soaring vocals to hypnotic keys that truly makes this record a spell-binding performance. Where many of us are wondering what the first big creation of any given sound in a new year will be, there’s no doubt about it for anything in psychedelic rock; Big Scenic Nowhere’s return is the headliner act of the year that is going to be extremely tough to beat.

There is true magic going on here. Where Big Scenic Nowhere has certifiably succeeded in the past, “The Waydown” stands as a triumph that cannot be disputed in every form. Much like how last year saw Dopelord and Acid King dominate for all the right reasons, Big Scenic Nowhere primes itself to take over 2024 with such overwhelming force and compelling majesty that makes one wonder how it could be any other way. From beginning to end, Big Scenic Nowhere gives us numerous reasons why they’re still nothing to underestimate with “The Waydown” naught but seven reasons to further our worship of the collective. Everyone involved in this project should always be immensely proud of what they’re part of with this act, and it’s within the vast expanses and deep psychedelia of “The Waydown” that we see such pride bear fruit that is scrumptious on a level I didn’t think I’d be tasting again so soon.

I beg of you: take a bite, trip out, and enjoy the feast for the senses that is Big Scenic Nowhere.

“The Waydown” releases on February 2nd via Heavy Psych Sounds!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Waydown” on Bandcamp here or via YouTube below.

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