Civic Soma
Hybris

Once there was a band called Flying Carpet that was founded back in 2010, then later they changed the name to Civic Soma and now they release the debut album Hybris. If they were speaking Swedish the title would translate to Hubris which might be what they had when making their first album, an album that hasn’t been given the best ever artwork but a rather okay one. I think that the artwork very well reflects the music both in style and quality. They claim they want to combine authentic, meaningful rock music with complex soundscapes to a kind of musical escapism.

The music kind of fits that bill; psychedelic rock music is how it can be described. I think a band like Pink Floyd is a good reference for how these guys sound. They have a good production, I think the sound is good and the vocalist is quite good as well. Decent variation, not overly complex, but relatively twisted and exciting for those who enjoy the psychedelic rock. A bit of stoner can be heard as well, and some retro rock for those keeping score – overall it could be described as a fairly diverse album. Diverse but not difficult to take to and not really innovative or creative, the things they do have been done many times before. Add to that the fact that the album is rather long with near one hour of playing time with several tracks that feels a bit on the long side.

Good album I think, the songs are all good and has decent depth. Though there are several songs that are a bit on the long side, I think they could have done the songs a bit more direct but the variation is quite good. So overall it is a solid album, and I think that this is an album that will appeal to a wide audience and especially to those of you enjoy the psychedelic styled rock music. And if you are one of those enjoying that psychedelic rock stuff, chances are good that you will especially enjoy the track called Deserted – I thought that was the highlight.

The conclusion is that this is a good album, a good debut that can be seen as a teaser for an interesting career, or something like that. It may not the best or most memorable album I have ever heard but I think it works and that it is good. If you enjoy the psychedelic kind of rock music it is an album that is well worth checking out.

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