How many bands have tried to sound like Quicksand over the years, and how many have failed? Dozens? Hundreds? More than that, even? There are lots of reasons why nobody else can pull off the Quicksand sound quite as well, but my working theory is this: None of these kids had formative experiences at shows where they might get stabbed. Quicksand did. Maybe that's why Quicksand, now that they're back to making records, are better at sounding like Quicksand than anyone else.
This summer, Quicksand return with Bring On The Psychics, their follow-up to 2021's Distant Populations. The band already shared two early tracks, and now they've got another one. "Crystallize," their latest, is a great song with a whole lot of snap and swagger to it. (It's not a cover of the xx. That's "Crystalised.") In a press release, Quicksand describe the song as "post-punk self-actualization-core meets 1960s Batman fight scene." That's pretty good!
It's crazy to me that Walter Schreifels can still summon the fire to write a track like this when he could easily cruise on past accomplishments for the rest of his life. Some people don't even need to be hungry. Check out the Jesse Korman-directed "Crystallize" video below.
Bring On The Psychics is out 7/17 on Equal Vision.
