Allah-Las celebrated April 20th with a trip to White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ, where the neo-psychedelic rock band brought “The Stuff” audiences were after.
The L.A. ensemble comprised of guitarists Miles Michaud and Pedrum Siadatian, bassist Spencer Dunham, and drummer Matt Mcorreia is out on the road promoting the band’s new LP, Zuma 85—with the aforementioned “Stuff” opening both the album and Saturday’s show. The band’s first album since 2019, Zuma 85 also marks a stylistic shift for the group now in its 16th year of existence. On the new disc, Allah-Las trade in a bit of their surf-kissed psychedelia for a more straightforward, pop-friendly ’70s-inspired sound reminiscent of Lou Reed (the chord progression on “Jelly” is even eerily similar to “Sweet Jane”).
The chilled-out final product of Zuma 85 is reflective of its creation. When the band members were finally able to reconvene following the COVID pandemic, rather than bringing finished songs into the picturesque Panoramic House recording in Stinson Beach, CA they brought rough sketches, ideas, and riffs. Once again able to engage with each other’s creativity, the songs came together over three sessions in a natural group setting with help from co-producer Jeremy Harris (Fruit Bats, White Fence).
“We got in real late that first night of the first session,” Michaud said of the recording process. “It was around midnight. We had a quick intro and Jeremy had a bottle of wine. We had a little and he said, ‘You wanna start recording?’”
Check out a gallery of images from Allah-Las at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City courtesy of photographer Joseph Lugo. The band’s tour continues tonight, April 25th with a show in Columbus, OH. For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit Allah-Las’ website and stream Zuma 85 via the player below.
Allah-Las — Zuma 85
