Warsaw 480km is the debut LP from Irish/Portuguese quintet pôt-pot, who infuse the propulsive grooves of krautrock with a phosphorescent psych-rock radiance, all underscored by harmonium drones, hypnotic male-female vocal harmonies, and deep layers of rough-hewn texture. Evolved primarily from demos by multi-instrumentalist and lead vocalist Mark Waldron-Hyden during a period of grief and personal upheaval, the album came to life through a series of live, full-band studio sessions that document an exceptional array of talents, unified in an embrace of raw catharsis with a sweetly sinister edge. “22° Halo” opens the record at a driving pace, elevated by searing amplifier tone and breathy, overdriven vocal harmonies from Waldron-Hyden, Sara Leslie, and Elaine Malone that seem to coo directly in your ear, at once intimate and detached. A narcotic haze develops beneath the taut drums and sinewy foreground, as dueling guitars threaten to erupt into frenzy but relent as the final seconds fade into fog. The understated arrangement of “Sextape” arose from a freeform jam, highlighting several of pôt-pot’s many strengths: melodious bass and laid-back drums create the framework for controlled feedback and honeyed vocals that are massive in their presence, yet still buoyant as a cloud above the steady pulse and swirls of vibrant, harmonic grace. A defining element of Warsaw 480km is its impressive range of atmospheric topographies. As Waldron-Hyden recalls, “I wrote the first batch of songs while not really living in one place, so I think they have a kind of transient feel to them – developing them with the band helped me process an era in which I was emotionally freewheeling, so they remind me equally of the beautiful experience we shared as a creative unit, and of the difficult times that inspired them.” Lead single, “WRSW”, exemplifies this duality, as its rugged rhythmic backbone carries split-channel, tremolo guitars and a half-spoken vocal line in which the verse and chorus beautifully blur together. About the song, he further explains, “‘WRSW’ is a chronicle of being driven in a very nice car to collect and deliver my father’s ashes, and how that odd comfort in such an awful situation jarred me; at one point the driver told me about a journey he’d taken from Ireland to Poland, where after days of driving, in the dead of night, a single road sign appeared, reading ‘WARSAW 480 KM’. I identified with that image of blackness punctuated suddenly by some faraway but tangible relief.” Musically, the song balances tight construction with a casual air; lyrically, it is diffuse and impressionistic, centered on the mantra, “How / Can we get there / Can we get there?” As the album progresses, there are strikingly sparse moments like “Fake Eyes”, whose reverberating tambourine and swelling harmonium evoke Ennio Morricone’s darkened hymns to open spaces, followed by the out-and-out swagger of “I AM!”, where an aloof, Lou Reed-indebted monologue rises to a full-throated yowl while various elements surge and drift in the middle distance. “Can’t Handle It” has the stomp and shake of a dive bar spiritual, as angular guitars shimmer and wail over Joe Armitage’s syncopated bass and a trancelike vocal refrain: “Tell me baby do you feel all right / Tell me baby would you take my life / Because I just can’t handle it”. pôt-pot’s incorporation of cyclical structures comes from a perhaps unexpected place, as Waldron-Hyden notes, “One massive influence for me is James Brown and a lot of early soul and funk; those deep grooves and chantlike vocals, repeated for minutes on end, are crafted so skillfully in the way that they’re simple enough to get down to, but evolve enough to stay incredibly interesting… That kind of music makes people move and lose themselves, but also stands alone as totally original and timeless.” This transportive sensibility runs through the push-pull of “Hot Scene”, which keeps pace as it goes from a minimal, buzzing twang to a spacious, open hi-hat sizzle that the band ride out in spellbinding fashion. Above all, Warsaw 480km is an album that achieves its richness and aura from deliberate economy, as Waldron-Hyden explains, “Ollie [Oliver Smith] and Sara are experts at getting the most out of one pedal, a shitty amp, and a guitar they borrowed, a result of innate talent and years of experience; they use some modulation for dronier passages, but it’s their playing styles and understanding of ‘the vibe’ that are the secret ingredients.” This kind of intuitive connection and collaboration is incredibly rare, and with these ten pieces, pôt-pot accomplish something truly rapturous as they alchemize deep pain into a luminous reverie.