Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Psychic Ills is a duo from New York, made up of Tres Warren and Elizabeth Hart. For a duo, they make a lot of beautiful music together. Inner Journey Out is the pair’s fifth full length release on Sacred Bones Records and it is “shoegazer” all the way. I love this style of music. If done well, it is trippy and beautiful. And by all means, this is executed flawlessly. I might even call this psychedelic country. Some of the music sounds similar to what one may have heard during “space” at a Grateful Dead concert. This music is perfect for listening at home or even a small gathering. It is very introspective.

Now on to Inner Journey Out. It has ethereal music all over the place with hypnotic vocals. So soothing and hauntingly beautiful. From the first track to the last, there are no lulls. The hypnotic tones are similar on most tracks but different enough to distinguish each song. The first track, “Back To You” is a lovely song with Jesus and Mary Chain style vocals but much more focus on heavenly guitars. It is about a man ready to get back to his love. The second track, “Another Change” picks right up with the trippy music and vocals. This song features pedal steel that gives it a very lovely sensation. The vocals, while sparse are perfect for this type of musical backdrop.

“I Don’t Mind” has a country feeling and very powerful backing vocals by Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star. This song is so luxurious, I feel like I am wrapped in a warm blanket. “Coca Cola” blues introduces harmonica to the musical mix along with gorgeous synthesizers and guitar parts. While the lyrics add an important element, this song and the others are all about the music. If you want to get lost in your thoughts, listen to “Hazel Green”, a 5 minute and 50 second journey to the center of your mind. No words, just wraithlike music so powerful that you can see beautiful imagery without any uh, assistance. Ra Wah Wah is another unearthly journey sans vocals. This musical trip is over 9 minutes but doesn’t feel like a second over 5. “Fade Me Out” is the perfect last track to cap off this otherworldly experience.

If you like the style of music I described, you will love this. The entire journey lasts about an hour and worth the ride. I am ready to take another voyage. If you like to try before you buy, you can listen to the entire release on Consequence of Sound here. Then you can buy it on their Bandcamp site.