Lately, I’ve been obsessed with artists who heavily use the fuzz effect and sounds in their music. “Fuzz” has notably been used in much older music and in classic rock or psychedelic rock, but I wanted to bring attention to more modern bands that make use of this sick guitar effect.
Thee Oh Sees
The band that I think is owning the fuzz sound right now in psychedelic rock are Thee Oh Sees. With more than 15 albums (my goodness) to choose from, their discography is packed with brutal distortion, saturated with reverb, and overdrive. I hear it most on Floating Coffin, Drop, and Mutilator Defeated at Last. Their music has lots of high energy and sounds even better live. Check ’em out!
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Oh man. This band’s sound is very eclectic and unique. Yes they’re psychedelic, but there’s something about KGLW that makes you think that they’re from a different dimension. Like Thee Oh Sees, King Gizzard’s got about 20 albums that are charged with distorted guitar sounds and I think they do an amazing job at composing their records as concept albums. They’re a blend of dreamy acoustic sounds and loud fuzz. Give their album I’m In Your Mind Fuzz a listen and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers
Each one of this band’s albums have such a raw sound that makes you feel as if they’re in the room with you. There’s lots of fuzz on their self-titled album and on my personal favorite Sidewalk, which is such an amazing record! Honestly, this artist deserves way more exposure and attention! I feel them becoming a much more well known band in the near future, slowly but surely. Definitely a must if you’re into that psychedelic vintage-y sound.
Ty Segall
As a solo artist, Ty Segall has some very prominent use of the fuzz effect. His album Melted specifically, is loaded with it and lots of raspiness from both his voice and guitar. To me, his voice almost mimics the guitar and blends together in a way where it’s hard to decipher which is which. His album with artist White Fence, Hair, is also an amazing product of similar sounds.
I love seeing more and more newer artists make use of this effect that’s been used for decades, and seeing their own spins and approach with this traditional sound is what makes it even better. If you’re looking for music with a fuzz sound that makes your brain tickle and feel like you’re spinning, you won’t regret listening to these artists.