SZABODELICO

Denmark's Causa Sui returns in 2020 with Szabodelico, which marks a a slight change in direction from their 2017 release, Vibraciones Doradas. Where that LP saw the band further embracing their early, heavy stoner rock roots, Szabodelico features the band mellowing out - sort of.

Szabodelico finds the band concentrating on the atmospheric, spacey style that has been a consistent part of their sound since the Summer Sessions records. Now, however, guitarist Jonas Munk completely avoids the bass-heavy, stoner riffs that interpolated their music in the past. The majority of the time his guitar sound is clean, with mostly reverb being the main treatment employed. Only on the the title track does Munk turn up the distortion a bit and lean towards a heavy psych sound, but never goes full-on stoner rock. That's not to say that the whole LP is placid, laid-back space rock. The band stays uptempo and energetic on several tracks. In fact, there are many rocking parts that could have included the heavy riffs of yore, but they just don't go there. Two songs also include flute, giving off a nice 70's vibe while still avoiding sounding dated.

I must admit that when first listening to Szabodelico I was a bit thrown off. At various points on the disc I was anticipating Munk to hit the distortion petal and lay into some heavy riffage and when it didn't happen, I felt a bit let down. After a few more spins though, I came to fully appreciate what the band was doing, and embraced their recent approach. Another plus is the record's recording/production and mastering. Their previous effort, Vibraciones Doradas, suffered from a thin sounding production, but Szabodelico (CD version) sounds rich, warm, and spacious on my hifi system.

So, Szabodelico does follow a slightly different formula than albums past, but it still sounds like Causa Sui. If you already like the band, you will most likely enjoy this new album. If you tend to dislike heavy stoner riffs, but like instrumental psychedelic rock, you may want to check this one out as well. Another excellent release from a band deserving much more recognition than it gets. A solid 4 stars.