‘IV’ by White Canyon and The 5th Dimension
Fourth full length album from the Brazilian duo
If you are at all familiar with the previous 3 album releases by White Canyon & The 5th Dimension you’ll have some idea of what to expect from their latest release ‘IV’ – their swirling, 60s-tinged psych rock infused sound remains but things have not stayed the same and the sonic and lyrical world they have created has entered a new, more assured state with the atmosphere getting even denser and the sound even richer.
‘Silver Womb’ sets the scene; a beguiling and cinematic start to the whole experience which creates the mystical earthy atmosphere that remains throughout the entire set.
‘Gravestone Lips’ is a thumping bassy tribal stomp that builds into grinding dirty drone and feels like a sister track to album closer ‘Wicked Eyes’, a dusty rock ‘n’ roll tale of seduction and a spell that can’t be resisted. The sound on both is big full on psych rock ‘n’ roll, and wouldn’t be out of place on an old Black Angels album.
Elsewhere the musical landscape expands and new elements emerge into their traditional sounds. Where The Dreamers Go’ feels like a blissed-out fever dream of creation; forces being summoned and shaped into actions; kundalini rising, spirits gathering. Musically it sounds like a slight shift in focus but it’s also firmly earthed in the familiar world that the Brazilian duo inhabit – devotional and ceremonial, rich in ancient symbolism.
‘Alumia’ is in 2 parts – initially a brooding dark synth drone which then bleeds into a seductive percussion heavy ritual with an eastern flavour. ‘River Song’ continues the vibration and slower tempo and could be the track used to sum up the whole White Canyon & The 5th Dimension feel and sound and mission –bewitching and dark but gentle and soothing.
The more diverse approach to sound is exemplified by the beautiful ‘Flesh And Bones’ – haunting and spiritual, with a loping bass line, brittle guitar and an overall sound more overtly influenced by 80s UK post punk than anything they’ve released before.
The album feels like an invitation to a secret world of mystery and insight, images flicker to mind and fade away into the darkness, memories float to the surface of the mind just out of reach. You don’t so much listen to a White Canyon & The 5th Dimension record as immerse yourself in it and go with the flow, follow their lead. Gabriela and Leo Vaith share vocals within individual songs throughout the album and this works fantastically, adding to the intimate and enveloping feel of the album. They seem to have more fully harnessed the power of their sound with this new release, it’s finely crafted and bigger in scale.
‘IV’ plays as a hymn to the earth, to the unseen forces that Leo and Gabriela clearly believe in and focus on…if you share those beliefs you’ll feel at home straight away here and if you don’t…well, let the album work it’s magick and see where it leads you…
Love IS the law…
Gary Powell, April 2026
Check here for news on forthcoming vinyl release – currently available on download here.
