In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up & coming stars on the planet. 

This time it’s Topanga Canyon-native and Psychedelia revivalist, Morgan Delt.

Bursting onto the Californian indie scene in 2014 with a thrillingly heady eponymous debut (via Trouble In Mind Records), Delt put forth a truly mesmerizing statement of intent. Morgan Delt was a delirious lo-fi concoction, playing out like a powerfully inebriated wander through the foggy unknown, and remains a modern psychedelic triumph.

Two years later we see Delt return with a notably cleaner-sounding second outing, Phase Zero (via Sub Pop Records). It’s undeniably a less feverish affair than its predecessor, but Phase Zero is just as warm and full of wonder, glowing like a hazy late-summer sunset, as its alluring front cover suggests.

To be sure, Delt’s music is an undeniable invocation of classic West Coast Psychedelia, yet he somehow transcends the hackneyed Retromania to which some of his psych-rock contemporaries have fallen prey, preferring instead to engage with contemporary, real-life concerns. As is illustrated by the entirely relatable Agoraphobia of standout single ‘I Don’t Wanna See What’s Happening Outside’, or even his suspicious view of so-called spiritual gurus on ‘Chakra Sharks’, Delt’s music is a potent brew not only of otherworldly sonic textures but also of meaningful lyrical content.

We caught up with Delt to learn a little more about this up-and-coming musician and his swirling, acid pop sound.

***

TMR: What are some of your primary musical inspirations? Additionally, what are some of the less obvious inspirations for Phase Zero?

Morgan Delt: The Byrds, White Noise, Curt Boettcher. Stereolab might be a less obvious one.

TMR: You write your music alone. Do you prefer writing this way? Why is this the case?

Morgan Delt: I’ve tried writing with other people a couple of times but it doesn’t really work for me.



TMR: Morgan Delt and Phase Zero are two very different sounding records. To my ears, your first record sounds like a heady, hallucinatory experience whereas Phase Zero has a somewhat mellower and clearer-headed quality. Was this intentional from the outset? What prompted you to switch things up on Phase Zero?

Morgan Delt: Yeah, I had a batch of songs that was more mellow and seemed to fit together and I wanted to try to do something that was a little cleaner sounding.

TMR: Your sound is pretty unique. What are some of your most essential pieces of equipment and why are they dear to you?

Morgan Delt: My computer is probably the single most important tool I use. I play a ‘70s Fender Mustang that I got when I was 15 so that has a lot of sentimental value to me. And then I love to put lots of tape echo on everything so that’s a big part of the sound.



TMR: There appears to be a strong revival of psychedelic music at the moment, particularly in West Coast America. How do you feel about it? Do you feel part of a scene as it were?

Morgan Delt: I think it’s great that there’s an audience for this kind of music and that there are festivals, promoters, labels, and other people helping support it. I love psychedelic music so the more bands the merrier in my opinion. But I don’t go out much or hang out with other musicians so I don’t really feel like a part of a scene except in an abstract way.

TMR: While I imagined a far more organic visual environment, your new video for ‘Some Sunsick Day’ is an interesting watch. How did the video come about, were you involved at all?

Morgan Delt: Lionel Williams who is also the drummer in my live band made it for me. I didn’t really give him any direction, just left him alone to do his thing.



TMR: In the cold light of the approaching British winter, your home environment of Topanga Canyon looks like something of a paradise right now. What does an average day in the life of Morgan Delt look like?

Morgan Delt: I pretty much wake up and sit in front of the computer all day. It’s too hot to go outside lately.

TMR: What Morgan Delt song are you most proud of and why?

Morgan Delt: ‘Main Title Sequence’, the last song from the first album is the one that I can listen to over and over again and never get tired of. Maybe because there aren’t any lyrics.



TMR: We’re a blog specializing in new music so are there any up-and-coming bands you’re really enjoying lately?

Morgan Delt: I’m so bad at keeping up with new music. In the past year I’ve really only listened to old music and Slime Season 3 by Young Thug.

TMR: What does the rest of 2016 hold for you?

Morgan Delt: We’re playing at the Desert Daze festival in October, I did a couple of remixes for other artists recently that might come out before the end of the year, and I’m working on writing new songs.

Phase Zero is out now on Sub Pop Records.

-Karl Jawara