I’m not going to lie, daylight savings has me extremely tired by 9:30 p.m. and as I was opening up the program to write this review, I saw the words ‘burnt almonds’ and instantly started thinking about burnt pumpkin seeds. Am I tired or just eternally hungry? Thanks for that, Mute Swan.

Hailing from Tucson, AZ, Mute Swan’s music blends the sounds of early 90’s shoegaze with modern psych-rock and dream pop—giving you a mix between My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and Stereolab. The track “Burnt Almonds” is an ethereal, yet atmospheric dream-pop tune; it’s just what you need on a Wednesday night, when it’s too early to go to bed and too late to start your night out. It’s enough to give you a jolt of energy, but chill enough that you don’t feel like going to a dive bar and doing lines for the next five hours.

Burnt Almonds comes from an Alan Watts lecture about a man who discovers the secret of the universe while under the influence of medical anesthetics. His discovery is that “everything in the universe is the smell of burnt almonds.” The song is also very much about personal growth and the discovery of “truth”.

I KNEW IT. I KNEW MY COCAINE REFERENCE WOULD MAKE SENSE HERE.

Everybody calm down. Listen to the tune below and don’t be a narc.