plantoid
Musically, Plantoid’s cauldron harnesses multiple subgenres at once to concoct a sort of primordial soup, the molecules of which are built as much from progressive rock as they are jazz, fusion, folk, and even a bit of ‘70s hard rock for good measure. The band began as the brainchild of Chloe and Tom Coyne, who met while pursuing music courses at Lincoln College in their teens. Quickly united by a passion for eclectic psychedelic rock, and far-out, emotionally charged songwriting, they formed the band Mangö and started gigging around town with drummer Louis Bradshaw, who Tom had been friends with since secondary school.
After making a name for themselves locally, the three relocated to Brighton and recruited bassist Bernardo Larisch. Now a four-piece, and renamed Plantoid, the band were ready to dig even deeper into their shared influences, ranging from Miles Davis to Todd Rundgren, to Jeff Buckley, all the way around to the more acute experimental fare that gives Plantoid their razor-sharp edge.
Plantoid are one of those bands that exceed the sum of their parts, with each member bringing a unique flavour that enhances their sound tenfold. Tom has been playing guitar practically his whole life, and his style, which fluctuates from lush finger-picking to reverb-laden rock riffs, sits very comfortably on top of Louis’ jazz-infused drumming and Bernardo’s intricate basslines. The band find their ace-in-the-hole with Chloe, however—as well as serving as Plantoid’s principle lyricist, her soaring vocals, at times both angelic and alien, propel each song on Terrapath to new heights.