Dark Psychic “Hallucination” 2021. The debut from this Milwaukee dark synthpop band is my most listened to local album of ’21. Self-released on cassette (and now I think also available on CD), this release hit exactly the right spot for me in the late spring/early summer last year as we emerged from the worst winter ever, hunkered down in semi-lockdown and societal chaos, still feeling the bleakness but with bright hope of a season of fun (which was, as we know, cut abruptly short). From their website: “Hallucination tells the tale of disillusioned millennials and gen-xers navigating adult life in an economic and political wasteland, in the midst of multiple systemic crises. The title refers to the state of mental fatigue one experiences day-to-day while living in a country that is rapidly spiraling out of control. When each new day is more unbelievable than the last, we begin to question reality, which may explain the popularity of conspiracy theories. The album was largely written and recorded during the pandemic, and while there is a dark, cynical nature to much of it, many songs contain at least some glimmer of hope, with the ultimate theme being togetherness and solidarity.” Heavily inspired by some of my personal favorite 80’s bands: Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, etc., Dark Psychic combines synth and vocals (Clark Rendall) and guitar (Nathan Greene) into a gothy and haunting hypnotic groove that is instantly addictive.

The first time I heard the lead single, “Burn,” I was hooked and had it on repeat for weeks, adding it to several of my playlists. The rest of the album is fantastic, too. Other top picks include the first track “IDK,” the 80’s plink-plunk, bleep-bloop Speak and Spell-ish of “Wake Up,” the menacing Black Celebration-ish “Wolf at the Door,” the title track “Hallucination” and the guitar-forward “Living in America.”

We had the good fortune of seeing Dark Psychic’s first ever show at Puddler’s Hall in early July (it was the second show we had seen since March 2020, making it extra-memorable). Two days later I met up with a good friend for some light afternoon day-drinking at Blackbird Bar and realized the bartender looked extremely familiar: turns out it was guitarist Nathan Greene so I got to gush to him in person how much I enjoyed Hallucination and their show. We also caught them on the patio of Boone & Crockett in August: while Dark Psychic’s sound generally feels more shadowy late-night, its edges of shimmer worked to highlight that gloriously beautiful sunny afternoon.