Houdan the Mystic is a psychedelic math rock project that hails from the streets of Richmond, VA. Though they haven’t released anything new since 2014, their split album with Fight Clouds, Where’s My Shakespeare, is an entrancing number. The record opens with “The Mandler” (streaming below), a warm flitting ditty with tender vocals that echo in the distance, giving the track a haunting depth, as the guitar and drums sputter fervently along creating both a calming and urgent sensation that washes over you. Then they shift gears into thunderous instrumental tracks with a thick bass that cuts through at breakneck pace, creating contrast and accentuating the jagged and arrhythmic melodies in the album. The tracks flow in an almost train of thought form that constructs a texturally varied soundscape–making for an interesting listen. And even better yet, Houdan the Mystic plays Strange Matter on July 8 so make sure to head out and give them a listen. – Adriana S. Ballester
