Michael Powell reviews:

Louisville’s Invaders might just be my favorite local act. They certainly could be the second loudest (Lords takes first place for obvious reasons). Invaders triumphantly achieve the coveted position of being difficult to categorize, which should by default pique your interest. Floating, their recently released debut for local label Karate Body, is a treble-heavy, noisy, yet viscerally accessible and pop-oriented body of work.

Invaders certainly take advantage of, in some ways, the resurgence of the no-fi aesthetic a la Psychedelic Horseshit and Times New Viking. However, Invaders rely on extremely tight song structures compared to the loosey goosey dissonance of the aforementioned. Snakey guitar, heavily distorted and subdued vocals, punchy rhythm, and general scratchy psychedelia rule over Floating, and the record is able to weave through oft disparate tempos and moods while remaining consistent and cohesive.

Invaders drift in the drug laments of Spacemen 3 on “Head Full of Rocks” (accompanied by the excellent backing vocals of the Sandpaper Dolls’ Amber Estes) and the noise pop of really early Yo La Tengo on “The Flu.” “Charmer” amalgamates a garage punk ethos with a decidedly shoegazey flavor. “Centipede” is pure stoner rock – Hawkwind, Dead Meadow, etc. And the title track sounds exactly like it should – ride heavy percussion, 4AD evocative dreamy textures, and a vaguely romantic swagger juxtaposed against late ’60s acid melodies. Light a doob and get lifted.

Invaders evidently love all the same music I love. Hence, I love Floating.