If your soul’s been short-circuited by the noise of the modern world, the Grip Weeds are here to reroute the current. Rising once again from their psychedelic hideout, the House of Vibes studio in New Jersey, the cult-favorite power-pop psychonauts return with Soul Bender, their first full-length album of original material since 2018’s Trip Around The Sun. And this time, they twisted the knobs in the studio with the goal of twisting minds. This is music engineered to uplift, disrupt, and explode the everyday. Guitars shimmer but bite, choruses lift off like rockets, and the production, handled entirely in-house by the band themselves, overflows with analog electricity. This is DIY rock with zero compromises.

The Grip Weeds, made up of brothers Rick and Kurt Reil, bassist Dave DeSantis, and guitarist Kristin Pinell, have long been masters of their domain. But Soul Bender feels like something else. It’s bigger, bolder, and wider in scope than anything they’ve put out before, packed with melodic left-turns, dense harmonies, and moments of sheer joy. Think Revolver-era Beatles reimagined by late-’70s Who, then dipped in Nuggets and wired for today.

Lead single “Vibrations” buzzes with ecstatic fuzz and a riff that feels beamed in from another dimension, while “Heaven And Earth” channels cosmic angst with cathedral-sized hooks. “Sun Ra Ga” leans into otherworldly vibes and instrumental bravado, a nod to the band’s endless curiosity and technical chops. But it’s not all flash. Songs like “After The Dawn” and “Love And One” tap into emotions that reveal the Grip Weeds' growing depth as songwriters.

Lyrically, Soul Bender swings between the metaphysical and the confrontational, equal parts mantra and mission. Whether they’re railing against conformity or searching for inner peace, the Grip Weeds never lose their grip on melody. Most impressive, though, is the fact that Soul Bender is entirely self-contained. From the writing and recording to the engineering, mixing, and album art, this is a total vision, realized without outside interference. It’s the sound of a band that knows exactly what it wants to say and has all the tools to say it.