White Fence – Family Perfume Vol. 1

Tim Presley of WHITE FENCE is no ordinary dude. This guy makes melted, lysergic, psychedelic-pop songs in his sleep, almost like he went back in time to the 60s and brought everything he could back with him.

If you’ve listened to even a minute from his latest LP on Woodsist, you would know exactly what I’m talking about. Presley sets the tone right away with “Swagger Vets and Double Moon.” This is our first and earliest indication of what’s to follow, bringing us through a hazy landscape of mangled, sloppy psych rock that sounds strikingly vintage. This tends to become the pattern of this LP, however Presley manages to give each individual song a fresh, unexpected approach. This really leaves you guessing how it’s possible that all this material came from one solitary person, not to mention it’ll keep you guessing with each new track that passes.

This is proven early on with a standout track like “Balance Yr Heart.” It’s a warming and gentle track to say the least, offering up folksy guitars with a grainy psychedelic twang to ease your soul. Presley weaves his catchy lyrics and vocal melodies throughout the track, expanding the sound with harmonicas and some piano for added depth. This all differs greatly from, say, a song like “Down PNX.” It’s a pummeling psych-punk banger, serving up sharp-edged guitars and mutilated soloing all wrapped in a noisy, metallic cocoon.

There’s still plenty of evidence on this LP to prove our claims. Six minute suite “It Will Never Be” is a worthy example, showing off colorfully strung-out guitars that sound drawn-out and lazy with a poppy, two minute intro. Before the halfway mark the song begins to stumble and takes an unexpected turn for the best, throwing us into an immensely hazy and tripped-out journey through kaleidoscopic synths, bass drum thuds and glinting guitar solos. By now it’s no surprise if you find yourself totally mesmerized by this murky landscape.

Following shortly thereafter, “A Hermes Blues” becomes another instant classic. It’s a short, bubbly psych-pop number, perhaps being one of the few tracks on this LP that doesn’t totally catch us off guard. Presley guides us through with his peppy vocals, creating some undeniably optimistic vibes before the track carefully fades away. So by now, as you can probably see, there’s lots to be said about this record. There are plenty of memorable, one-off tracks that are on their own, including peculiar jams like the folksy “Hope! (Servatude, I Have No!)” or the chilling “Breathe Again.” But of course, we still get plenty of the stomping psych-punk anthems we’ve come to love, like “Long White Curtain,” “Soaring, Daily Pique Num. 2,” or “Down PNX.”

When it’s all said and done, it really is still a challenge to try and imagine how Presley created this LP for us. As he promised, this guy truly does melt music, which would definitely explain the overall melted complexion of this stunning record. Hear for yourself right below!

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Pop, Lo-Fi, Noise Rock
Family Perfume Vol. 1 LP: Tracklist:
1.) WF/FP
2.) Swagger Vets and Double Moon
3.) Long White Curtain
4.) Balance Yr Heart
5.) Do You Know Ida Know
6.) Down PNX
7.) Take Away Life’s Endless Take
8.) Hope! (Servatude, I Have No!)
9.) It Will Never Be
10.) Soaring, Daily Pique Num. 2
11.) A Hermes Blues
12.) Hey! Roman Nose
13.) Breathe Again
14.) Daily Pique