A joyous cut of sci-fi gilded silliness, the track was produced and mixed by the legendary Stephen Street (The Smiths / Blur) and arrives as the band prepare to make an impact in Austin Texas as one of the official showcasing artists at SXSW 2022.
Like an asteroid of repurposed space-junk oddities hurtling towards Earth with a haywire trajectory, “Psilocyberman” crashlands through your speakers in a radiantly psychedelic, new-wave pop blast.
A song about mindless cyborgs and mind-altering psychotropic substances, Heavy Salad frontman Lee Mann explains of “Psilocyberman”:
It’s the tale of an everyday cyborg who is awakened from his electronic trance using the magical powers of psilocybin (aka “magic mushrooms”). He is aware! He feels the rhythms of the universe reverberate inside his mind!
Scattering a melange of bouncing robotic beats, raygun guitar splatters, and alien doo-wop choruses in its technicolour vapour trail, “Psilocyberman” leads a sonic invasion of the seriously addictive kind. Coupled with a jubilantly malfunctioning break-down, listen out for a cameo from South London music scene legend Patrick Lyons too.
“Psilocyberman” arrives as the first official glimpse of Heavy Salad’s upcoming second album ‘Long Wave’, which is confirmed for release later in 2022. The follow-up to the band’s warmly received debut ‘Cult Casual’, it was recorded at Damon Albarn’s Studio 13 in West London and at their current base in Manchester. Striking up a creative partnership with esteemed producer Stephen Street, he is confirmed to have produced and mixed a number of tracks across their forthcoming record, alongside Christophe Bride (A Certain Ratio). Speaking about working with Street, Lee Mann adds:
Working with Stephen Street was a dream come true for Heavy Salad, he instantly recognised the band’s knack for a killer hook and a guitar player who does things differently! Having worked with some of the most distinctive guitarists in British rock, Stephen can now add Rob Glennie to his illustrious list of collaborators. Stephen is well known for delivering experimental guitar pop and “Psilocyberman” is no exception.
The “Psilocyberman” release also finds Heavy Salad collaborating with another of their favourite creatives, acclaimed illustrator: Stan Chow. Having drawn Northern icons from Andy Burnham to Maxine Peake, Chow now inducts Heavy Salad into his Mancunian hall of fame with the specially commissioned artwork for their current single “Psilocyberman”, and the promise of more to come.
“When it came to bringing “Psilocyberman” to life there was only one artist on the band’s wish list and the single features amazing, bespoke artwork” says Lee.
With a UK Headline Tour already in the pipeline for 2022 including a prestigious showcase appearance at SXSW in Austin Texas, fans will be able to hear Heavy Salad previewing further new material at the following fixtures:
HEAVY SALAD – 2022 LIVE DATES
Friday 11th February – The Eagle Inn Salford
Friday 18th February – The Snug Atherton
Thursday 24th March – The Salty Dog Northwich*
Friday 25th March – Night and Day Cafe Manchester*
Saturday 26th March – The Adelphi Hull*
Friday 8th April – Bootleg Social Blackpool*
Friday 15th April – Carnival Brewing Liverpool*
Saturday 9th April – The Kanteena Lancaster*
Saturday 23rd April – The Pipers Hastings
Saturday 3rd September – Pysch Fest, Manchester