Helen Kelter Skelter

It’s been an odd and unpredictable past few years but for Oklahoma heavy psychedelic mainstays Helen Kelter Skelter, it hasn’t all been a wash.

Thus far, HKS has enjoyed a fairly typical indie band trajectory. A solid decade in, they’ve released an EP and two full length albums: 2015’s self-titled debut and 2018’s Melter, both to decent acclaim. All the while, they’ve kept busy playing local and regional shows, sharing the stage with Polyphonic Spree, The Sword, Dead Meadow, And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Pallbearer, Broncho, Blushing, Sun & Stone, Ringo Deathstar, Rainbows Are Free and countless others.

Things had been looking bright. But then, like with all bands, the pandemic happened, and schedules and plans got scrapped. Thankfully, HKS eventually made productive use of the supposed “downtime” and got to work – the first results of which will see daylight on their new EP scheduled for release in June on Tulsa label, Horton Records.

Recorded in December 2019 at an undisclosed church in northwest Oklahoma City, HKS’s new EP showcases the band’s established wild-yet-tuneful style while still showing off new ways to keep things fresh. With their trademarked, reverb-drenched, chill vibe intact, the band fearlessly joust in several directions – all successfully – whether it’s the Hawkwind versus Krautrock tug-of-war in EP opener ‘Best Friends’ which brilliantly dives into a Sabbatherian outro complete with extra trippy percussion or if it’s the slow and lurching ‘Sceptre,’ summoning Red-era King Crimson with its ominous shifting time signatures with Eastern-tinged riffs that twist uneasily but resolve just in time before becoming sinister. It’s a quick and compelling ride for fans of Black Mountain but who also might desire a more song-conscious path – for the quickest evidence, check out guitarist/vocalist Eli Wimmer’s melody in the EP’s closer ‘Chill.’

The good news doesn’t end there. The band recorded an additional batch of songs at Breathing Rhythm in Norman and are prepping for their third full-length LP to be released in October, also on Horton Records. Appropriately, their live schedule hasn’t relented and shows for 2023 are ramping up even more.

This highly creative and capable band is firing on all cylinders and there isn’t a better time to catch them. Helen Kelter Skelter deserve your attention. And after an uncertain number of years, one thing has become certain: their patience and work ethic seem to be paying off.