Scottish Heavy Psych trio Nëwsün returns with their latest opus, “Demonpsych,“ a hypnotic journey through Stoner riffs, Doom atmospheres, and Psychedelic soundscapes. Self-released on June 28, 2025, the album captures the band’s evolving vision, combining raw power and evocative storytelling. We sat down with Fraser, Alejandro, and Ali to discuss the band’s origins, influences, the making of “Demonpsych,” live ambitions, and their take on today’s vibrant underground scene.
To start, can you tell us about the origins of Nëwsün? How did you all come together, and what was the initial spark that ignited the band?
We started out just me and Alex jamming, then recording, then we played handful of gigs as a two-piece. We knew we needed a bassist, but a big part of the band was the vibe we had writing and playing together, so we were really cautious about asking anyone else to join. Fraser came down to one of our gigs, we went out after and got pretty drunk and stoned at a karaoke bar, and he asked to play bass with us. He hadn’t played bass in any bands before that, so we hadn’t thought to ask him, but after jamming once we knew he was the guy.
Your sound blends Heavy Psych, Stoner, and Doom rock. Which artists or movements have influenced you most, both historically and contemporarily?
Sleep’s Holy Mountain, and the live bootlegs from around that time, were a big reference point for us. As was Chrono.Naut, and Supercoven/Burnout by Electric Wizard. We studied them, and the riffs, structures, and style of those recordings were very influential on us. We decided to record the album live with minimal overdubs, and part of the influence for that was Demonic, Her by Ibliss. I was listening to it a lot, and once I read that they recorded it live in the liner notes I was sold that’s how we should do it too. “Demonpsych” feels like a deep dive into Heavy atmospheres and evocative moods.
How did the songwriting and recording process for this album differ from your previous work?
In the past, we wrote as a duo so the songs were very confined by that. Every part was played for a set number of repetitions, and there was no room for improvisation. This time we learned all the songs together and jammed them until they felt comfortable. It meant we could let riffs ride out as long as they needed to, and improvise for as long as we felt like. It opened the door for a lot more spontaneity, and made the recording more of a representation of us as a band playing together. I can’t see us recording any other way in future.
The album carries a strong thematic undercurrent. Can you share some insight into the main themes or stories behind “Demonpsych”?
I don’t set out to write lyrics about anything specific, it’s more just phrases that sound cool and fit with the part. Over time they start to come together and stories and themes come out. A recurring theme is the perspective of an outsider figure observing a Psychedelic Doom cult in a world approaching the end times. There are a lot of fantasy
elements, apparitions in the sky, people being in trances.
Tracks like “Demonpsych” and “Alma Maldita” are particularly immersive. Are there any specific inspirations—literary, visual, or personal—that helped shape these compositions?
Demonpsych comes from a description of the the character Alia in Children of Dune. She’s the girl whose mother takes the water of life trip while she’s in her womb. She becomes a dark character who controls a cult of followers. The description of her is sometimes sympathetic though, and describes her as being slowly consumed by the darker voices that speak to her. She’s described as being driven by a “demonpsyche”. We’re named after The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I said above about the idea of an outsider figure observing a cult, and I think a big part of that comes from The Book of
the New Sun. The main character is an ostracised executioner, roaming around for work and observing a dying world as an outsider. Alma Maldita was written differently from all the rest of our songs. Alex handled the vocals for it. Here’s what he says: “We initially thought Alma Maldita would be an instrumental song, like the kind of music we make when we are jamming. But the day we were recording an extra guitar at the studio, we thought would be cool if I could add some extra percussions as well. At the beginning of the song, instead of add more percussions, I still don’t know why, I started saying some words in Spanish. I improvised all the lyrics, the only idea I had in my head was Antonin Artaud or Samuel Becket writting a theather play, like Waiting for Godot. It was recorded in just one take, and that was it. We decided to leave it like this, to keep somehow it’s essence intact.”
How did the self-release route influence your approach to the album’s production and promotion?
It meant that we took our time to record it exactly how we wanted to, so it all felt right. We’re all very interested in all aspects of music: the art, the recording process, etc, so having full creative control is obviously important to us. We only self-released because we don’t know anyone who wants to release our music though. I’d love to get this on vinyl personally, so hopefully someone picks it up.
Live performance is an essential part of Heavy Psych and Doom scenes. Do you have plans to bring “Demonpsych” to stages soon? How are you preparing for that?
We’ve been playing it live for a few months now. We put together a gig at our practice space for the release of the album and it was sick. We had access to a lot of gear, so we went really over the top. I was playing through 2 full stacks, and Fraser had 2 bass cabs going. It was very loud. Our friend Kyalo put together some incredible visuals which we projected on sheets all along the walls all night: scenes from Bakhsi’s Lord of the Rings with trippy effects overlaid. I kept catching myself zoning out and staring at them while we were playing. We’re going to try to include visuals in our shows as much as possible in future.
Reflecting on your past live shows, do you have any memorable moments or stories you’d like to share?
We played a gig in Inverness, and after we decided we would try to get into Aleister Crowley’s old cottage, Boleskine House. It used to lie derelict and was very easy to access, but multiple people had broken in and started fires, so the current owners have added a lot of security measures. We got there around midnight, it’s down a very long single track
road with thick black trees. We parked at the graveyard across the street and climbed the barbed wire fence to get into the garden. There was another fence after that, much higher and harder to climb, but I noticed there was a way around that fence through some woods, so we went that way. We were walking through the woods towards the cottage and I saw a blue light turn on on the tree ahead of me. It was a motion sensor for an alarm system so. The alarm went off, and there were lights on in a small house nearby, so we turned and ran.
The Heavy Psych and Stoner Rock scenes have evolved a lot in recent years. How do you perceive the current state of the scene, especially from Scotland and the wider UK?
Yeah, there’s a very active, evolved scene now. In Glasgow there’s a few bands we’ve been able to play with that are making really cool music. Lucid Sins are a psych band who put out a few records on Totem Cat. We’ve played with them twice and they’re an incredible live band. We just played with Tar who are also excellent. Very sludgy and groovy. Check
them both out. In terms of the wider scene there are a lot of bands that get a lot of hype that I don’t really get the appeal of. But in the more underground parts of the scene there’s a few bands who have put out amazing records recently. Hazehound from Montreal put out a record called Macrodose that I love. The label that released it (From The Urn) puts out a lot of good stuff. Psychedelic Witchcult from Sweden have an amazing release on bandcamp called They Use Dark Forces. Really solid album. Great riffs and songs and the overall tone is amazing. Like I said above, Ibliss too. Demonic, Her is really good.
Are there any collaborations, side projects, or new directions you’re exploring as a band or individually?
Fraser plays in a few other bands right now: Lesser Beings, Holy Austin (his solo project). Alex plays in Los Guacamoles. They put on parties and play a lot of Latin American music.
Lastly, what can fans expect next from Nëwsün beyond “Demonpsych”? Any hints on upcoming releases or tours?
We’re working on new songs already, so expect more music most likely next year. We’re hoping to do a weekender in England at some point. Maybe late this year or early next year. Watch this space.
Thank you, Fraser, Alejandro, and Ali, for sharing your time and insights with Progressive Rock Journal. “Demonpsych” is a compelling addition to the Heavy Psych and Doom canon, and we look forward to following Nëwsün’s journey as they continue to push sonic boundaries.
Purchase “Demonpsych” on Bandcamp: https://newsunsounds.bandcamp.com/album/demonpsych
Stream their full album via our YouTube channel below: