03 September 2026

THE HEAVENLY BODES – Green Hills (2026, LP, Fuzz Club Records)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Fuzz Club Records

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Clear Green Vinyl, 500 copies

Release Date: 3 July 2026

There is something wonderfully appropriate about a psychedelic record being born in a heatwave, recorded in a friend’s living room on a reel-to-reel machine, with the beach just a short trip away and the cooling system of an old Fostex R-8 apparently being pushed to its absolute limits. The Heavenly Bodes — Paul Ruskin (vocals/guitar), Alex Mantle (drums), Fin Wilson (vocals/guitar/organ), and Iolo Puleston (bass) — emerged from South Cornwall’s grassroots Psych scene, forged through chance encounters at Kernowbeat shows in Falmouth and united by a shared love of 60s acid-garage. Yet “Green Hills”, their debut LP for Fuzz Club Records, is far more than a nostalgic exercise in retro Psychedelia. It feels like a snapshot of a particular place, a particular summer and a particular state of mind.

Recorded live on 8-track during the notorious Swanpool heatwave of July 2025, and self-produced by Fin Wilson, the album wears its imperfections proudly. Tape hiss, loose edges, jangling surf guitars, hard-hitting bass, hazy organ and vocals that seem to have absorbed the humidity of the room all contribute to an intimate, wonderfully unpolished sound. The result is a fascinating collision between acid-garage, lo-fi psych, surf-inflected guitar pop and narcotic garage-rock cool, all soaked in the salty atmosphere of the Cornish coast (Bandcamp).

Following their 2025 debut EP “A Shelf You Can Applaud At A Distance”, a string of demos and singles, and support slots alongside The Chills and Charles Moothart & His Fast Band, “Green Hills” arrives after a headline UK tour and feels like the natural next step for a band that has been steadily turning its local underground environment into sound. The Heavenly Bodes have captured something immediate, authentic and beautifully of its own time.

“Green Hills” contains 4 tracks on the 1st side and 5 tracks on the 2nd side of the LP album. “De Groene Heuvels” kicks things off fast and furious, a lo-fi bedroom Garage Rock blast with a distinctly punky attitude and a strong 60s backbone. The vocals are blurry, almost unintelligible at times, which only adds to the rawness and aggression, bringing to mind the ferocious garage-psych energy of New York’s The Mystery Lights. “Acting” keeps the momentum going with a rhythmic, jangly 60s Garage feel, but there is also a little touch of 80s revivalism lurking underneath, while the groove-a-delic beat gives the whole thing an irresistibly swinging Psychedelic pulse. “Five Ways” initially appears to be something completely different, a slow, nostalgic and bittersweet ballad carrying a dark post-wave 80s atmosphere — or perhaps even a Paisley Underground flavour. But then, somewhere in the middle, the track suddenly launches itself into orbit. An addictive guitar lick changes everything, turning the song into something GROOVY, Psychedelic and utterly trippylicious. It is almost hard to believe that this is still the same song! “Faux Pillars” is one of the album’s undeniable highlights, driven by an amazing fuzzy rhythm; THIS IS Garage-Psych at its absolute best. Blurry vocals, generous doses of tape hiss and a rhythm that makes it virtually impossible not to move your feet, your body or, preferably, your mind! The guitar sound is simply mind-blowing, delivering a wonderfully punk-a-delic garage-psych attack that gradually slows down towards the end, allowing the track to take a deep lysergic dive into a sea full of LSD. Somewhere beneath the surface, it even seems to encounter The Doors’ Ray Manzarek before disappearing completely, leaving you with nothing but wonder — and a desperate lust for more. Superb!

“Spitting The Pips Out” (opening side B) comes back with an even punkier attitude, rhythmic and aggressive, dominated by an incredibly acid-drenched electric guitar played at maximum volume. There is a fascinating dialogue between the guitar and the microphone, between riff and voice, creating a Psych-Punk-a-delic angry anthem that sounds permanently on the verge of exploding. And then comes “National Express” — what the fuck is this? Where the hell did they find this gorgeous cool melody? It took me a while to pull myself together, but eventually I figured it out: imagine the main riff of Human Expression’s “Every Night”, then imagine a completely let-loose reincarnation of it, and you’re somewhere close. The result is a kick-ass Garage-Psych monster called “National Express”. Put it on repeat — or, better still, burn a tape, CDR or whatever you have with only this track on it, although even that probably wouldn’t be enough! I feel so Psychedelically Enchanted! (Both songs “Spitting The Pips Out” and “National Express” were released as a double A-side 7-inch vinyl Single in June 2026). “Sea Water” takes us back to the cloudy beaches of late-60s West California, filled with nostalgia, psych-ness and lo-fi mastery. The whole thing feels as if a 50s crooner had taken a few hallucinogens and is now desperately trying to regain his composure while still standing in the middle of a live show. Strange, hazy and completely wonderful, this is one hell of a track! “Edward’s Allotment” is another FANTASTIC Psychedelic highlight, deeply influenced by 60s Psychedelia but equally inspired by those late-80s bands who rediscovered the psychedelic underground and, once they did, simply refused to turn back. Punky, vibrating and gloriously distorted, it is Garage-Psych at its very best, another moment where The Heavenly Bodes seem to have found exactly the sound they were looking for. Finally, “The Heavenly Bode” closes the album with a wonderfully weird piece that initially behaves like a ballad, suddenly erupts into frenzy, slows down again and then… well, words almost fail. Yet perhaps that is exactly the point, because by the end of these nine tracks something has become unmistakably clear: The Heavenly Bodes have created their own sound. It is not simply 60s Garage, it is not merely Psychedelia, Punk, Surf or Paisley Underground — it is all of these things melted together through tape hiss, fuzz, heat and youthful madness. One album, nine tracks, and already a recognisable identity. It’s like the 60s again, man! ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2026! Dig! TimeLord Michalis