It might well be 2023, but in The Crystal Teardrop’s world it’s still 1967! The Midlands based rock band have reached deeply inside themselves and unleashed their inner flower children on their brilliant second single ‘By The River’.

Part psychedelia and part raga, the track has strong callbacks to The Kinks’ ‘See My Friends’, The Byrds’ ‘Eight Miles High’ and the deep psych of Traffic’s eternal ‘Paper Sun’ with its heady groove and prominant sitar. That’ll be more than enough for old psych fans to love it in an instant, but there are a few deeper musical elements that help this still new band to shine.

The way the 60s vibes are beefed with a harder drum groove brings back memories of similiar revivalists from the early 90s, and an alluring pop vocal lends a great melody. Alexandra Rose Mason’s lead voice brings an immediate familiarity, never a million miles away from feeling like a Stevie Nicks performance without the warble, and her floaty, alt-pop tones really sell what could’ve been a hazy, music-dominated piece.

In short, this is a track that many fans of retro pop-rock will absolutely love. It sets The Crystal Teardrop much further on a road to greatness. In a world where there are so many bands dabbling in retro sounds – usually of a Black Crowes or Black Sabbath persuasion – it’a a real pleasure to discover a still new band going out on a musical limb.

This has all the makings of an instant classic. Check out the song and suitably retro video below.

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