SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CLINIC – WHEELTAPPERS AND SHUNTERS

Clinic
Wheeltappers And Shunters
Domino Records

Clinic is back with their eighth full-length studio album. Capping off a seven-year hiatus with their latest release, Wheeltappers And Shunters, the Liverpool-based psych rockers signed to Domino have dived headfirst into a new but familiar tone, folding deeper into the warm sound of sixties psychedelia with vintage electronic organs.

Warm keys pair with swirling guitars and droning, hallucinogenic bass-lines for a sound that’s as timeless as ever before. Clinic have that sinister Strawberry Alarm Clock meets Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd feel, rounded out with a twist of The Velvet Underground.

Short but sweet, their new album Wheeltappers And Shunters has standout tracks including “Ferryboat Of The Mind”, where dreamy vocals chime along with twanging guitars and syrup-soaked keys for a journey to paradise. Later on, the tribal tones of “Flying Fish” paired with uplifting organs & percolating vocals awaken the nostalgia of summer. Their single “Rubber Bullets” offers that signature Clinic sound for a new era of psych rockers to explore.

Clocking in at 25 minutes long, the album leaves you wanting more from the band after such a long hiatus following their album Free Reign in 2012. Overall, Wheeltappers And Shunters is worth the wait, serving as a staple in the Clinic band discography.

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