Moonblast

Helping further the argument in defense of Santa Barbara’s music scene, Moonblast comes to us with not only solid songs but a solid vision. Born out of the ashes of S.B. rock outfit The Internet, this new — undeniably more Google-ready — act offers a spacey take on the shoegaze aesthetic, complete with dreamy, echoed guitars and heavy-handed drum and cymbal flourishes. Rather than falling into electro-rock trappings, though, these four go the psychedelic route, incorporating swirling guitar solos and loose song structures to sometimes-calming, sometimes-dizzying effect. The instrumental-only “High Noon” makes for Capsule’s magnum opus, a tension- and reverb-filled exercise that hearkens back to early ’60s motorcycle bands, while album closer “Niko” splices nature imagery and a surf-rock hook with plenty of trippy little noise experiments. It’s heady, it’s nostalgia-driven, and it’s an undeniable coup for the S.B. music movement at large. For more, visit moonblast.bandcamp.com.