California surf-rock revivalists Allah-Las brought the goods to Austin for Levitation this last weekend. The psych fest’s stage (at Far Out Lounge) was bathed in sunlight Friday afternoon following some brief bouts of rain. The warmth of the Texas sun was the perfect atmosphere for laid-back, down-to-earth tunes that would follow.

Allah-Las kept it light and casual, taking time to form a connection with the audience and converse here and there. An impromptu cover of “Louie Louie”, born from some absent-minded guitar tuning between songs was a fun surprise.

The Los Angeles group, reminiscent of The Zombies and The Magnetic Fields performed many songs from their newest album, Zuma 85. It marks a shift in overall sound, with experimental compositions and vocal styles atypical of the band’s signature rhythmic jams (“Mulberry Jam”, “Boysenberry Jam”, and “Catamaran” are some of our favorites!)

They introduced a new piece from Zuma 85, “Jelly”, named after the latest in gelatin-based psychoactive drug delivery. The lighthearted tune drew in the interest of the crowd as they witnessed something new and unexpected. Allah-Las asks you to take a step back and experience the world through an unhindered and unabashed lens.

Finally, we were ecstatic to hear a rendition of “Sacred Sands”. This (in our opinion) underrated track from their 2012 self-titled album gloriously exemplifies the band’s surf-rocker chops. This toe-tapper turned-head-banger drew the crowd together for one last dance in the proverbial oasis among the dunes.

We would have liked to hear some tunes from the band’s collaborative album “Self Discovery for Social Survival”. Alas, we will have to catch them another time to hear more favorites. We recommend you do the same and check out Allah-Las at a live show near you! Zuma 85 is out now and we also highly recommend giving it a listen, the studio recordings make for great listening!

Review & Photos by: Chris Murphy

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Heralds of the Sun, Allah-Las, Bring Light to Levitation Psych Festival