The Brooklyn-based band Fully Furnished describe themselves as a “friendly psych-rock experiment”, and you only need to listen to their latest single, In the Lurch, to understand why. Here, that experiment sounds as though it has dropped us straight back into the late sixties or early seventies.
From the very first notes, you can’t help but wonder if you’ve slipped back in time. The song has the feel of a psychedelic rock opera, with an epic quality reminiscent of The Who and a hint of The Pretty Things in its circular structure, returning to the same idea each time but adding something new with every loop.
The guitars contribute hugely to that sense of movement. There’s a clear surf influence, albeit far removed from the classic twang. The playing is more fluid and wiry, and at times brings to mind Television, helping the song flow seamlessly from one section to the next.
However, it is the lyrics that ensure the song is more than just a sonic experience. In the Lurch revolves around loss, absence, and the fear of being left alone after someone has crossed a boundary they can’t come back from. The lyrics shift from the everyday, such as a coffee that reminds you of someone who is gone, to more peculiar imagery involving limbo, precious metals, and a ticket to cross over to the other side. The line “I don’t wanna go in your car, so please don’t leave me here” captures that fear perfectly: they don’t want to go with that person, but they don’t want to be left behind either.
In short, In the Lurch is an epic psychedelic journey that plays with a wide range of ideas without ever going over the top. Fully Furnished make no secret of looking to the past, but they fold those references into an experiment that is easy to get swept up in. Are you coming along?
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