Plastic Waves

There are so many tasty waves crashing along the shores of Vanyaland, you’d think it was the middle of summer. Yesterday we premiered the debut single from Boston experimental pop sextet Narrow Waves, and today we’re back with the much-antipcipated debut EP from Boston psych-pop wunderkind Plastic Waves.

The EP follows the release of two fantastic guitar-warped singles, “You Never Listen” and “Melancholy Sleep,” both that suggest styles ranging from British psychedelia to Brooklyn indie rock to ’90s Britpop, and continues the crystalizing band vision of chief member and songwriter Andre Bellido.

“Plastic Waves is essentially my solo project of psychedelic music that started out from my desire to start writing alone after a few bands I tried to form earlier on in college didn’t really work out,” Bellido told us a while back when we premiered “You Never Listen”. “I started to get a sense of direction for what kind of sound and vibe I was going for, and I realized that I didn’t technically need a band to record the music I was trying to create. Apart from that, I started to really enjoy doing everything on my own since I had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted to do.”

The rest of the EP follows along Plastic Waves’ hazy brand of 7 a.m. rock and roll. “Friendly” might be the best song Oasis never wrote, while pushing me down would make Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre blush. But the true standout remains “You Never Listen”, a rocket-ride of swirling guitar-rock goodness that hits a brilliant bit of cruising altitude.

“[It’s] probably the most psych-pop kind of sound that’s on my upcoming EP,” Bellido said of the song. “It came about one night while testing out a new pedal I had just bought, and I came up with most of the guitar parts that night. I wasn’t sure I was going to actually make a full song out of it, but one of my friends was listening to what I was doing and he liked it, so I decided to see what I could do with it.”

Clear your calendar for the next 48 hours and listen to the Plastic Waves EP in full via the Bandcamp. And come back down to Earth on March 7, when Plastic Waves, with a full live band, play a Lysten Boston event at the Middle East with Calico Blue and Petting Zoo. - Vanyaland

I don’t know if you’ve ever watched plastic melt, but there is something so beautiful and mesmerizing in the way it disintegrates. The way it moves and folds into itself. Listening to Boston’s psychedelic outfit Plastic Wave is much like that. Solo project of Andre Bellido, Plastic Waves weaves together fuzzy vocals over snarling reverb laden guitars and oscillating synths as a thick base rhythmically pulsates in the background, creating a rich aural texture. Their self-titled debut EP starts off gently, with delicate synths in “Intro” before climaxing into an eruption of kaleidoscopic proportions on “Pushing Me Down” and then easing into a dizzying electric comedown with “Melancholy Sleep.” Take a listen below and don't forget to catch Plastic Waves entrancing sound at Great Scott on April 13. - The Deli Magazine

With a sound entrenched in warped, bubbling psych-pop and falling somewhere between the worlds of Temples and Jason Falkner Plastic Waves has already found its groove. - Vanyaland

Sometimes you’ve got to go solo to let your true colors fly.

The psychedelic brainchild of Boston musician Andre Bellido, Plastic Waves began as Bellido’s first attempt at making music on his own. “I’d tried forming a few different bands in college, but nothing came of them, so I began working on songs in my bedroom and I started forming a vision for the kind of sound I wanted,” Bellido told us.

The end result, which we’re thrilled to premiere today, is a five-track EP that puts a twist on traditional kaleidoscopic psych-pop, bringing in swells of gritty, snarling rock at every turn. Plastic Waves’ debut release will transport you across decades and through every crevice of your mind as it deftly explores genres. Still, Plastic Waves stays anchored to its psychedelic roots — a sound perhaps best represented on album closer “Melancholy Sleep.”

In fact, “Melancholy Sleep” was the first song that Bellido penned as Plastic Waves. Anything but sleepy, the track builds from a contemplative hum to a swirling chorus, culminating in crashing drums and searing guitar — as if the soundtrack to a turbulent dream. It was after writing this song that Bellido knew he had found his sound: “It became a template for all of the songs I would end up writing,” he said.

From there, Bellido recorded the rest of his vision in his apartment in Boston and back at home in South Florida. The collection ranges from the expansive, hook-laden “You Never Listen” (which Bellido names as his favorite, even though he “almost scrapped it in the early stages”), to the soft and hazy “Pushing Me Down.”

Get a first listen of the EP below, and come out to support Plastic Waves at their EP release show tonight, February 16, at Great Scott. (Bellido will be joined by a band that he’s assembled for live shows.) You can also catch them at Middle East Corner on March 7 and at Out of the Blue Too on a date yet to be confirmed. - Sound of Boston

Plastic Waves is here to make its debut with the single “Melancholy Sleep.” The track is the comfort food of psych rock, with its warm and engaging guitar riffs blended into dreamy vocals culminating in the catchy chorus that keeps you craving more from the band. - Allston Pudding

Plastic Waves is the psychedelic recording project of Andre Bellido based out of Boston, MA. The project began in 2014 as an attempt to create music within a hazy, psychedelic setting, incorporating anything from pop melodies to dense, dreamy sounds, and noisy textures. For live shows, Andre is joined by Tyler Hicks (guitar), Jordan Rich (keys), Cory Best (bass) and Sean Camargo (drums) who together bring the recordings to life.

And together they drove down to Brooklyn to play the Audiofemme + glamglare showcase at the renowned Knitting Factory for Northside Festival. Plastic Waves might have very well been the act people were most curious about, since they haven’t played the New York area yet. Only a few in attendance knew how fantastic these five would be live but afterwards – everybody knew!

Plastic Waves are certainly a young band to watch out for, because… they are just starting out and the sky is the limit. - glamglare

This year’s Boston and Beyond: Berklee’s SXSW Party at the Brush Square Park West Tent offered one highly interesting band after the other and so we stayed there for not only one but five acts. Plastic Waves from Boston, MA were my personal favorite with their dreamy psych-rock, so perfect for a lazily chill afternoon, with a cup of bubbly in my hand…

While Plastic Waves are live a quintet, it’s really Andre Bellido’s project, who has written and produced all the music on his debut “Plastic Waves EP“, which got released earlier this year. For live shows though, he’s joined by Jordan Rich (synths), Will Cariello (bass), Tyler Hicks (guitar) and Sean Camargo (drums). Together, they expertly brought the beautifully fuzzy soundscapes to life and here’s hope for more shows to come! - glamglare