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Stream Hookworms’ Sinister Psych-Punk Debut Album ‘Pearl Mystic’

Hookworms

The members of England’s Hookworms only go by initials — MJ (vocals, keys), JW (guitar), SS (guitar), MB (bass), and JN (drums) — but their names aren’t important. All listeners need to know about these psych-rock freaks is that they specialize in thick, shoegazy propulsion — the same kinds of droning, tripped-out epics that J. Spaceman scaled with Spacemen 3 in the 1980s. Unlike their drug-fueled forebears, though, Hookworms reportedly didn’t rely on “chemical assistance” when writing and recording their upcoming debut album, Pearl Mystic. Instead, the enigmatic outfit assembled the nine-track LP with clear heads, crafting a gauzy, sneering full-length that deep-dives into depression, heartbreak, and, according to group leader MJ, a “half-hearted suicide attempt.”

Stream the whole record below right now, days before its official September 3 drop date.

:audio=0:116913:playlist:Hookworms, Pearl Mystic: