Usually a band changes its name maybe before their first record, maybe after if something isn’t working for them or if their sound and mission changes dramatically over time. But words like ‘usually’ are less applicable when it comes to quirk-bent Oregonian two-piece Wizard Rifle, who made their debut in 2012 and shall henceforth and forever be known as Psychic Trash.

Why the name change? Well, maybe they pushed Wizard Rifle as far as it could go. Pretty much anything that’s a reminder guns exist, in America at least, is a reminder of mass shootings, and maybe that’s part of it too. But Wizard Rifle‘s self-titled album came out in 2019 and their next one will be their first under the new banner as well as their first for RidingEasy Records, which has signed the rebooted duo.

I (finally) got to see Wizard Rifle in April (review here), and my primary takeaway from the experience was that the band are probably better than people know. They call the change an evolution below instead of a re-branding, and perhaps there’s a corresponding shift in sound and perhaps there isn’t, but who the hell knows? Maybe the name-change lets them catch people off-guard and blow a few more minds than they might otherwise. Psychic Trash‘s debut sounds pretty exciting. Another Wizard Rifle album seems like something that might make you feel like you already missed the boat on the band.

Nathan Carson of Nanotear Booking, which long served as Wizard Rifle‘s booking agency and will do likewise for Psychic Trash, posted the following:

Very excited to have PSYCHIC TRASH on the Nanotear roster. You can hear the first track from their new album on the Riding Easy Records mixtape dropping this Friday… in the meantime, please give them a like/add on FB & IG & TikTok.

From the basement to the main stage Max and Sam have been tearing their way through the American rock underground for 13 years dropping albums, touring relentlessly, and rubbing elbows on the festival circuit.

Now they have evolved into a wilder more raging project Psychic Trash.

In partnership with RidingEasy Records and Nanotear Booking (the team that brought you Monolord, Blackwater Holylight, and Early Moods), Psychic Trash is ready to unleash its self-titled debut later this year, and shower the earth with a rain of sonic debris, vocal harmonies, massive chords, rumbling drums, and epic vistas of sound.

Fans of Melvins, Lightning Bolt, Osees, Sonic Youth and more, take note! It’s time to dig in to Psychic Trash!