The Chemistry Set – This Day Will Never Happen Again

The Chemistry Set were a band who were all-too-often overlooked, emerging from the late 80s British neo-psychedelia scene with a sound that owed as much to English folk as to Captain Beefheart. After almost two decades on hiatus, they returned last year and now we have This Day Will Never Happen Again, over an hour of shimmering guitars, cowbell and jangling melodies, a near-perfect fusion of rose-tinted 60s optimism and modern recording mastery.

Almost every track offers a new reason to simply enjoy being alive, with particular mention going to Seeing Upside Down, featuring a sublimely fuzz-laden solo that somehow encapsulates all that the album stands for, and the beautifully solemn We Live as we Dream…Alone, a soft ballad melding acoustic folk, middle-eastern instrumentation and lysergic aesthetics to form an angelic mantra. On top of all this, The Chemistry Set are also back on the tour circuit, making it a good day for all who are smitten by this outstanding new chapter. [David Bowes]