Happy Diving has never met a fuzz pedal it didn’t like. On its previous releases, the East Bay band has gone for the gut with guitars so consuming, it’s as if everything in its path is being swallowed by the band’s massive sound. That’s not the case, though, for “Head Spell,” which The A.V. Club is premiering today. Culled from the band’s upcoming album on Topshelf Records, Electric Soul Unity, “Head Spell” opens with a guitar riff so clean it’s downright startling. It ends up working like Happy Diving’s version of a ballad, bringing back those huge, fuzzed-out guitars as a way of punctuating the song’s delicate refrain. It may be a new look for Happy Diving, but it’s one that suits it.
Electric Soul Unity will be released August 19 on Topshelf Records and pre-orders are available now.