For those new here, Pohl are a relatively underground project who have been toying with the garage psych rock scene since their kaleidoscopic debut EP POHLSMOKER in 2012. Made up of guitarist and vocalist Will Pearce and Dr Linda Westman on drums, the duo are now following up from their 2023 EP Pergamon, with their highly-anticipated debut album Mysteries.
Pohl may be best described as everything, all at once. Album opener ‘Narrator’ launches you into the mania with climactic chorus lines and a sensual groove. ‘God’ follows in the same spirit, but with dirtier riffs and spell-binding vocals. Album standout ‘The Whale’ doubles down on the above and springboards you straight into adrenaline-driven glam-rock tendencies. Whether you’re a die-hard Pohl fan or a first-time listener, in just the first three tracks, Mysteries demands your attention.
After a consistent back-to-back of soaring psych-rock releases with subtle shoegaze tendencies, ‘The Door’ pauses the intensity levels and brings you back to the surface. Edging gentle shreds and soothing spoken words, this track is perfectly placed and offers a humble reset. As it slowly fades out, Pohl picks up from the mania they left off at ‘Cellar Head’ and protrude into their penultimate track ‘Pergamon.’
Similarly to every Pohl project, you know what you’re getting – until you don’t. Sonically their soundscape has always correlated with hardcore garage-rock while also teetering towards doom metal. While you know to expect a cosmic fuckery of sounds, the direction of each track keeps you guessing.
Mysteries was recorded at the duo’s Cool World studio and mixed by collaborator and producer Wayne Adams. Throughout the tracklist, almost every song has a historical voice-over sample, which adds to its nostalgic, whimsical feel. When you listen to this record you feel like you are in the room with them. Somehow Mysteries perfectly emulates the feeling of being in a basement venue with warm bodies and sweat dripping off the walls. There’s a dingy, slightly dirty, and provocativeness to every song. Wrapping up almost thirty minutes of swooshing cosmic shoegaze releases, Pohl concludes Mysteries with the epic distorted album finale ‘END.’
Having spent the last decade releasing EPs, now Pohl are back with a special project that perfectly summarises who they are and the message they’ve been conveying since the beginning. In Mysteries the band’s creative vision has never been clearer. There really is little to dislike on this album. Another brilliant record, from a brilliant band.
