Reading about The Stumps brings about high expectations: a New Zealand supergroup comprised of three of the heaviest hitters in the southern hemisphere. Fortunately, this sonic Cerberus has yet to disappoint, releasing a steady stream of cacophonous splatter fit for the most damaged of psych-attuned eardrums. So believe the hype: the Milton/Clover/Kirk axis is certainly right up your alley if you?re a regular over here at Foxy D.

?Exigence? is the latest mind-bomb that The Stumps have graced us with, and has been described by a certain band member as being a collection of tracks unusable for digital representation. That certainly makes no difference to these ears, as the whole cassette practically devoured my stereo (and my alcohol-weakened mind) upon first listen! The A side veers back and forth between rapturous scorching psych rawk and limber drone ritual; on the flip, we?re taken in a groovier direction with a couple of longer jams whose backbones are entrenched deep in Kraut territory. I heartily recommend this cassette, which is loaded with enough goo to put some serious holes in your grey matter! 8/10 -- Bryon Hayes (21 April, 2008)