Here’s 8 minutes of weird psych-metal courtesy of De Lorians’ “Toumai”

The Tokyo quintet’s new single strange, spirited piece that takes some surprising left turns.

July 09, 2019

Tokyo-based five-piece De Lorians wear their influences on their sleeves. They love Zappa and Pharaoh Sanders, and make freeform jazz rock experiments that are lengthy, punchy, and discombobulating in equal measure. In a recent bio, bandleader, synth player, and saxophonist Takefumi Ishida offers a single quote: “Zappa is God among us.” The band draws on a long and dense tradition of spacey psych. But just because something draws from a storied genre, doesn’t mean it can’t still knock you for six. Case in point: “Toumai,” an eight-minute ripper premiering today on The FADER that moves from spiritual jazz to hair-raising psych metal with the speed of a rollercoaster drop. Accompanied by a colourful, transfixing video, “Toumai” is a vivid — and unforgettable — piece of psych-rock pastiche.

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“Toumai is a nickname of the ancient human ancestors called Sahelanthropus, and it means 'Hope of life' in the word of Chad,” De Lorians tell The FADER via email. “And this song shows the form of our interpretation of spiritual jazz, space rock.” Listen to “Toumai” above and preorder De Lorians' self-titled record here.

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Here’s 8 minutes of weird psych-metal courtesy of De Lorians’ “Toumai”