Maanen Faces are a band from Nantes, France offering a blend of Progressive/Psychedelic and Stoner Rock, formed in 2024. The debut album “A Brilliant Future” was released on March 29, 2025 and contains 6 tracks ranging from 3 to over 9 minutes in length. The opener “Robots” is an elaborate track, characterised by an urgent and complex rhythm, enriched by continuous tempo changes. The vocal parts, modulated with a skilful use of effects, are interwoven with long instrumental textures of keyboards and guitar, mixing Heavy Psych, Prog and Stoner. The band’s modern and personal sounds are contaminated with a retro touch in “Selfish Block.” A gritty, tight song with good guitar and keyboard breakdowns and a solid, elaborate rhythm section. The vocals are dynamic and incisive and the band incorporates references to the 90s scene into the sound of the song. The album’s longest track “Destroy This World,” is permeated by darker atmospheres, rough guitar riffs and a solid rhythm section. Continuous tempo changes enrich the track, developing intense instrumental sections with guitar and keyboards in evidence, offering a personal blend of Heavy Psych, Stoner and forays into more modern Prog. The band enhances their compositional and performing technique, offering a long track that explores the different facets that characterise their style. “Useless Runaway” is the shortest track on the album, centred on a composition performed on the Pipe Organ, which accompanies us for 2:42 minutes. Gloomy atmospheres characterise “All Along,” with the intensity increasing as the song progresses, cadenced by march-style snare drumming. Drum percussion also features prominently in the intro to the closing track, “The End Of The Night.” A track permeated by dark atmospheres and developed into a musical crescendo, incorporating elements of Psych/Prog with a retro touch. The effected vocals and instrumental openings give a lysergic touch to the sound of the track, then in the second half incorporate more heavy elements and end with an atmospheric outro. A good debut for this band that offers a sound somewhere between Psychedelic Prog and Stoner Rock, with forays into darker sounds in the album’s finale. Long instrumental textures intertwine with dynamic vocal parts, allowing them to develop their musical concept thanks to the length of the tracks. A good listen for all lovers of new Heavy Psych and Stoner sounds with forays into Prog, a debut album that enhances the different facets of the band.
Tracklist
01. Robots (06:06)
02. Selfish Block (06:34)
03. Destroy This World (09:45)
04. Useless Runaway (02:42)
05. All Along (03:22)
06. The End Of The Night (08:14)
Lineup
Clément / Guitars and Backing Vocals
Emmanuel / Bass and Lead Vocals
Julien / Keyboards and Pipe Organ
Thomas / Drums