Hailing from the borderland of San Diego, California, Drug Hunt is a quartet of natural seditionists blending elements of psychedelia with the sonic palettes of garage, post-punk, noise, and the occasional foray into prog and metal. Their unique sound has earned them cinematic analogies such as “Tarantinoesque” and “Biker Bar Pink Floyd” for their raw and ethereal performances. The band debuted their self-titled EP on Blind Owl Records in 2019. They embarked on extensive tours along the West Coast and southwest before the COVID-19 pandemic halted their eastern expansion.

At the core of Drug Hunt’s distinctive sound lies the enduring partnership of childhood friends: guitarists and vocalists Rory Morison and Jason Meyers. Their musical collaboration began at the age of 17 and continued sporadically throughout their travels apart, from San Francisco, LA, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and eventually upon their return to San Diego.

Drug Hunt recently announced the release of their first full-length, Feast, which sees release via Bad Vibes Good Friends on July 20. Initial tracking and final mixing for Feast was done at Earthling Sudio with engineer Mike Kamoo, overdubs and production by Rory Morison at El Canon del Tigre and mastered by Nathan Joyner (Metz). The album art features a collaboration between photographer Beck DiGiglio and art and layout design of Andrew McGranahan.

Feast was born from the crucible of existential turmoil and internal discord. It serves as a beacon of the band’s resilience, embodying their newfound artistic focus and sonic evolution. With each track meticulously crafted, the album showcases a dynamic range that defies conventional boundaries, inviting listeners on an immersive and sinuous rock sound that delves into the psyche of hedonism, dogma, politics, power, love, reinvention, and the earnest call to define oneself as both humans and artists. The record shifts from horn-led marches to all-out psychedelic freakouts. Every corner is pumped with sonic light featuring captivating contributions from a lineup of esteemed collaborators. Backing vocals from the talented Jess Roberts (Deap Vally, The Everettes), brass and flute arrangements courtesy of Willi Flemming and Jesse Audelo (Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Fresh Veggies Micro Brass), and the percussive ruminations of Matt Bozzone (Space Hall Sound Machine, Mitchum Yacoub).

Today the band shares “Obelisk” from the forthcoming record.

Of the song, Meyers says, “‘Obelisk’ came together organically, developed through a series of extended improvisations based on the main riff. Lyrically, it explores the Saturn time cube conspiracy, which suggests that time is controlled by the hexagonal storm on Saturn. In mythology Saturn represents the father of Zeus who would devour his own children in order to maintain his power. Time is imagined here as the ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail to maintain order and power, this order is humanity’s never-ending march through birth, death, and reincarnation. I believed this particular conspiracy to be an interesting study on the unforeseeable forces at play in the universe and how they may be dictating our everyday lives. This raises the question: are we trapped on this planet by the cosmic force of time? ‘Pilons of time, making our way, something inside us, is changing our fate.’ If so, what tools and relics are used to keep us here, and how do they manifest in our mythology and symbols? Could the obelisk be one of these relics?”

Pre-order Feast here.

Photo courtesy of Becky DiGiglio