The need to achieve perfection can be an awfully frustrating, sometimes painful burden to bear. However, there are certainly some individuals and collectives who are not only equipped to shoulder the responsibility, but have the stuff of which perfection is made. Such is the lot of The Grip Weeds, who assuredly and consistently strive for that ever-elusive butterfly, but continually make further strides towards that goal. Their latest album, GOTB, is indeed a near-perfect slice of vintage psychedelic pop music with all the hallmarks which will make fans of the genre rejoice, including influences of The Beatles, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, the Move and The Who, as well as strains of elegant folk-rock. Every guitar lick, vocal harmony and drum fill (and there are many of each) is meticulously crafted and weaved throughout each track, courtesy of singing/songwriting brothers Kurt and Rick Reil. Both the opening cut, "Astral Man", with its sturdy, tight harmonies and repetition of the title phrase, and the bright "Infinite Soul" could be hit singles in a better world. Other standouts include the mystical, Revolver-esque "Realities", the olde-style folky "Give Me Some of Your Ways", the perfect ambrosia of styles "Gone Before" and "Closer to [Love]", cowritten and sung by lead guitarist Kristin Pinell, is an absolutely sublime slice of mysticism.

Here's hoping The Grip Weeds never give up on their quest to record the perfect album, because GOTB proves that of all the bands purveying the psychedelic pop genre, The Grip Weeds have the best chance of achieving perfection." -David Bash