Spaceface — co-founders Jake Ignalls and Eric Martin, along with touring members Marina Aguirre (bass) and Garet Powell (drums) — formed back in 2012. And since their formation, the self-professed “retro-futuristic dream rock outfit” have firmly cemented a reputation for crafting catchy songs that whirl, twirl, bend, stretch, attract and propel while meshing elements of dream pop, funk, psych pop, funk, rock and post-disco among others.
Their sophomore album, 2022’s Aneomoia was the result of several months of 2019 at Blackwatch Studios, where the band spent several months working with Jarod Evans writing material inspired by funk rock and turn of the millennium psychedelia revival. Although the material superficially can be perceived as a feat of efficient, minimalist songwriting by Ignalls, Martin and a cast of friends and collaborators, centered around slick melodies, lush arrangements and effortlessly flowing, rhythmic grooves, each spin of the album reveals new, deeper layers. Thematically, the album painted a positive but somewhat critical portrayal of modern life.
The first bit of new material since Anoemoia sees the Los Angeles-based JOVM mainstays tackling The Verve’s beloved, 1997 smash hit “Bittersweet Symphony.” The Spaceface take sees them turning the song into a woozy, Oracular Spectacular-era MGMT and Currents-era Tame Impala-like psych pop ripper that retains the string hook of the original but done with guitar, and anchored around phased synth bass, shimmering tambourine, a thumping backbeat and layers of harmony.
Directed by Erika Mugglin, the accompanying video for “Bittersweet Symphony” is a hallucinogenic slow-burn with an adorable golden retriever and people exaggerated wearing paper mache heads.
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