Album Of The Week: Megafauna’s Welcome Home

Austin, Texas, is not only hailed as the “The Live Music Capital Of The World,” it has been the epicenter for a plethora of psychedelic and experimental music for quite some time. Just Google up either genre and you’ll get a list of bands hailing from Austin that you’ll definitely enjoy. One of those acts is Megafauna who are releasing their fourth album, Welcome Home, on May 27. Their talent is incredible. By bringing different dimensions to the forefront, this act knows how to shred.

To call Megafauna a power trio is a huge understatement. Dani Neff is crazy on guitar and sings with a dream pop tone, while bassist Will Krause and Zack Humphrey on drums pick up the rhythms like a well-oiled machine. There’s plenty of intensity, but there are also instances of mellowness — at times your brain will be melted while at other times you’ll be relaxing and soaking it all in. There’s so much to like when it comes to Megafauna and their new album.

When a band keeps things interesting by tapping into all sorts of musical avenues, there’s few they can do wrong. Welcome Home is an excellent example of that. Megafauna go from guitar heavy arena rock to psychedelic shoegaze and back again. It’s truly a beautiful thing and it’s never boring. To explore more of this album, enter my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week.

An entrancing start to Welcome Home is “Desire;” it’s  a little atmospheric at the beginning but when everything else kicks in, Neff’s guitar and Krause’s bass fuse together. The groove that flows through “Panpsychist” is on point while anchoring a bunch of shredding from Neff. “Gaia” starts off a bit surfy, giving visions of sitting on the beach while the sun is setting. Neff then builds it up to a flurry of guitar solos alternating with steady downbeats.

Megafauna will be celebrating the release of Welcome Home at Empire in Austin with Migrant Kids, Young Tongue and an array of special guests on June 11. Let’s hope us New Englanders will get to experience the awesomeness this trio possesses. Until then, grab a copy of Megafauna’s new album when it comes out on May 27.

Stream “Desire” on Megafauna’s Bandcamp: https://megafaunamusic.bandcamp.com/track/desire-4; Megafauna’s Website: http://www.megafaunamusic.com