The Telescopes have spent decades stretching the edges of noise, space rock and psychedelia into something entirely their own. Static Charge, their 19th studio album and seventh for Tapete Records, strips that vision down to a direct, hard-hitting form. Written, recorded and produced over two months at Stephen Lawrie’s Butterfly House studio in Shropshire, the album captures a four-piece line-up led by Lawrie alongside Darrell Carter (guitar), Robert Prest (bass) and John Lynch (drums). Recorded largely live, with only vocal harmonies added later, the result is immediate and unvarnished. Across seven tracks, Static Charge runs on primitive rhythms, dense low-end and abrasive textures, balancing repetition and momentum with a sense of tension. It’s a focused, stripped-back entry in a catalogue defined by constant evolution.
