I don’t find myself listening to this album in the conventional sense, I’m hearing something certainly, or at least I’m thinking about hearing something, but it’s rhythmic path is not easy to follow. But nor does it seem important to follow. No need to invest valuable concentration, On Patrol should just be allowed to happen. The sound seems to sit at the back of your mind rather than on your eardrum, you could surely be imagining the entire thing, piecing it together from a series of disparate memories.

Guitarist Cameron Stallones’ Sun Araw recordings are the product of late-night sessions edited for release. The editing though comes across as fairly restrained. Heavy on the farfisa organ, vintage synth and wah-wah guitar effects, tracks are given plenty of freedom to play out. The results are lengthy psychedelic jams; traversing dub, African funk and tropical vibes interpreted with humid, sweaty tones.

15-minute centrepiece Conga Mind is littered with obscure references and markers for the listener to decipher. A massive single-key drone hints at something darker deep within. Fully seven minutes in, the drone transforms and the sporadic conga beat articulates into a deep psyche-funk groove. Mimicked animal calls give way to human voice, distant calls of ‘Mind Psalm, On Patrol’. Despite its length, it still manages to finish abruptly in an ungainly stoned stumble. Luckily, the wonderful Deep Cover follows. This has a lot in common with the Forest Swords’ release from earlier in the year. Bass-heavy dub rhythms mixed with narcoleptic freakery.

[Vimeo 10472596]

There is a lot of music about that is getting labelled as ‘hypnogogic’, music that you would associate with the decayed, intoxicating sound of Sun Araw, but this seems much less self-conscious than most. It is an immersive but unnerving listen. You can easily submerge yourself in the slowed-down aesthetic of the music, causing you to lose track of your earthly positioning. Despite On Patrol’s minimalistic approach to rhythm it is hugely evocative; a musical trip in every sense.