Review: Love, Hippies & Gangsters - Sun Over Babaluma

Love, Hippies & Gangsters have been on my radar since they released their wonderful 'Caravan' single last year. That I haven't put pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard) is the result of laxness on my part. L,H & G were formed in Dalston by Yiğit Bülbül (who, based solely on some email exchanges, is a top guy!) in 2014 and are "influenced by 60s psychedelia/garage, 70s experimental music, 80s/90s guitar drones and all sorts of other weird, obscure music" and the result is akin to walking into a psychedelic sweet shop. This EP really is a joy.

Opener 'This Is What We Want' is the most straightforward of the four tracks - a sparkly neo-psych romp, reminiscent of the Brian Jonestown Massacre with some droning synths and jangly guitars - it is a song that has summer written all over it. With the second track, 'Through Your Mind' things get really interesting. After an intro that could have been lifted straight from the B-side of Bowie's 'Low', the motorik rhythm and the supreme guitarwork keep the track chugging away underneath the vocals. 'Qlusterfuck' is another foray into krautrock territory - more motorik drums and some retro synths give this a lovely 70s feel whilst still sounding 'now'. Final track 'Got My Coat' is probably my fave - it starts with some great Klaus Schulze synths which swirl away under the track, add an insistent drum beat, some muted vocals and plenty of reverb and you have a spacey, lush and extremely satisfying manner in which to finish then EP. Yiğit Bülbül is obviously a man who revers the past and yet has one eye on the future, and the future's looking bright.

'Sun Over Babaluma' is available over at the band's bandcamp page as a 'name your price' download...but...you know what the right thing to do is!