The Chemistry Set: Come Kiss Me Vibrate And Smile 7'' (2012)

UK act THE CHEMISTRY SET started out back in the 1980's, but split shortly after their second album "Wake Up Sometime!" was released in 1990. But 2008 saw the band reuniting again, and they've been a fairly active unit since both in terms of recording material and performing live. Three track single "Kiss Me Vibrate and Smile" is their first release in 2012, issued as a limited edition, vinyl only production by enthusiast label Fruits de Mer Records.

The A side of this single kicks off with the uptempo title track, a retro-oriented but timeless sounding affair sporting a generally uplifting mood created by way of driving rhythms, gently reverberating guitars, occasional darker toned guitar details and a few organ flourishes to boot. Rather straightforward in structure, but a vitamin pill of a hummable psychedelic rock construction nonetheless.

Time to Breathe follows next, a slower paced affair that opens as more of a low key creation with acoustic guitars on top of a cleverly constructed drum pattern, supplemented by carefully reverberating guitar details and a lighter toned psych-oriented supporting motif, gradually developing into a somewhat more frenzied arrangement not too far away from the sound Hawkwind explored on their debut album. Brilliant stuff for those who enjoy psychedelic rock with a distinct emphasis on the psychedelic part.

A cover of Tomorrow's Hallucinations is the choice selection for the B side. This brief excursion is more of a mainstream-oriented affair sporting driving rhythms and acoustic guitar partially backed by a textured guitar motif with something of a post rock tendency to it and partially by psych-dripping guitar soloing, in sum reminding me quite a bit of Australian act Lime Spiders - if anyone remember that band at all these days.

I might also add that the carefully controlled lead vocals is a pleasure throughout, I'm a sucker for high quality lead vocals and The Chemistry Set should fulfil most expectations in that department quite nicely, and with a certain swagger and elegance at that. All in all a high quality production, as the majority of the productions that comes courtesy of Fruits de Mer Records tends to be. Some 800 copies of this specimen have been produced from what I understand, and from mid-October 2012 the same number of psychedelic rock fans should find this 7'' to be a fine addition to their collection.

My rating: 87/100
Track list:
A1. Come Kiss Me Vibrate and Smile
A2. Time to Breathe
B. Hallucinations