Ty Segall’s Harmonizer

Unceremoniously released after a two year gap in solo output, Harmonizer bears the rare mark of deliberation for Ty Segall. Whether by choice or pandemic necessitated, the time was clearly well spent, allowing the prolific multi-instrumentalist and songwriter’s trademark creative restlessness to simmer and marinate into some of the finest work of his career. Cuts like “Play,” “Waxman” and the mammoth title track, which showcases its namesake pedal in full effect, couple punishing riffage with eerie vocals to produce an otherworldly glam. The warped, searing guitar leads on “Erased” crest and crash like waves upon far off, storm-battered shores, foreshadowing the weeping symphony of glistening guitars and dank bass that close “Pictures,” a high point in the track list that recalls Piper At The Gates of Dawn-era Pink Floyd in its bridge, and closing track “Changing Contours.” “Ride” finds Segall adopting a nasally register not unlike John Lennon on The Beatles’ “Blue Jay Way,” lavishing in one of the album’s finest psychedelic moments. Ty’s wife, Denée Segall, even joins the proceedings for the sweet Melt-throwback of “Feel Good,” providing some welcome sonic levity. Segall has always excelled when the strong simplicity of his melodies are backed by the ferocious intensity of his guitar playing. These delightful constants in his bounteous discography are dialed up to 11 on Harmonizer, resulting in a near-perfect equipoise of sleekness and sludge that is viscerally satisfying.

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