Jagged. Epileptic. Throbbing. Gondoliers‘ sound has bubbled and festered since their last release and this newest grimy brew is well worth the wait. Tonight’s Whispering shows the band clearly working in the “freakout garage” subgenre, but the sheer variety of texture and coloring is astounding and sets this crew apart from other bands in that scene. Take the opening track, “Hair Patterns”: the album zips to life before shards of lead synth and dissonant guitar cut through the buttery bass synth. The tune spins into Gondoliers’ classic cyclonic sound; that spinning goes on to fuel the Hitchcockian merry-go-round of “Man Next Door”, beckons you to delight in the greasy, gravelly snowballing effect of “Downward Drift”, sets off the lurching bends of “Slaves” like wooden tops. “Loose Associations” buries you in the sound of the cosmos teetering off its axis, then breaks into a jittery dance beat that finds its match in the heavy groove and tubular noises of “Gold Wings”.

When these guys aren’t spinning or dancing, they’re sinking in quicksand: the dirty bass groove of “Unshared Beliefs” sounds like a stoned Pac-Man is eating his way through your speakers; “We Fit” stumbles and pulses like the worst hangover of your life. The album culminates in a ferocious 1-2 combo as “Mackerel Hill” – the newest episode of “Drunk Story Time! With Charles Manson” – writhes and bleeds into the decrepit, stringy jungle beat of “Broadcaster”. Stream Tonight’s Whispering below courtesy of Midriff Records, jam out to Gondoliers’ older tunes on their bandcamp, and enjoy this twisted piece of sonic neurosis.