Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

Ear to the Ground: Comet Control’s “Blast Magic” and “Future Forever”

More shoegaze than space-rock, this Canadian outfit blends pedalboard mayhem with eye-of-the-storm vocals to create tunes that are catchy and heady.

What sets Toronto psych-rockers Comet Control apart from most longhairs playing through refrigerator-sized amps is their knack for writing well-crafted songs robust with catchy hooks and memorable melodies. Born from the ashes of Canadian space-rock heavies Quest for Fire, Comet Control is less Hawkwind and more Swervedriver.

“Blast Magic,” the opening song from their 2014 self-titled debut, lives up to its name with more than eight minutes of guitars so crazily cranked they’re like an exaggerated version of Swervies’ frontman Adam Franklin’s blaring Vox-and-Matchless rig. Singer/guitarist Chad Ross’ wispy vocals seem to share the same DNA as American shoegazers like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Brian Jonestown Massacre, and when his squealing solos tangle with co-guitarist Andrew Moszynski’s explosive fusillades it’s as glorious as a couple of Ghostbusters crossing the streams of their proton packs.

Meanwhile, the punchy riffs on “Future Forever” pull you into a sonic jet engine as Ross exhales trace elements of the same psychedelia that made Quest for Fire so easy on the ears. cometcontrol.bandcamp.com

Whitman Audio introduces the Decoherence Drive and Wave Collapse Fuzz, two innovative guitar pedals designed to push the boundaries of sound exploration. With unique features like cascading gain stages and vintage silicon transistor fuzz, these pedals offer musicians a new path to sonic creativity.

Read MoreShow less
- YouTube

In our third installment with Santa Cruz Guitar Company founder Richard Hoover, the master luthier shows PG's John Bohlinger how his team of builders assemble and construct guitars like a chef preparing food pairings. Hoover explains that the finer details like binding, headstock size and shape, internal bracing, and adhesives are critical players in shaping an instrument's sound. Finally, Richard explains how SCGC uses every inch of wood for making acoustic guitars or outside ventures like surfboards and art.

We know Horsegirl as a band of musicians, but their friendships will always come before the music. From left to right: Nora Cheng, drummer Gigi Reece, and Penelope Lowenstein.

Photo by Ruby Faye

The Chicago-via-New York trio of best friends reinterpret the best bits of college-rock and ’90s indie on their new record, Phonetics On and On.

Horsegirl guitarists Nora Cheng and Penelope Lowenstein are back in their hometown of Chicago during winter break from New York University, where they share an apartment with drummer Gigi Reece. They’re both in the middle of writing papers. Cheng is working on one about Buckminster Fuller for a city planning class, and Lowenstein is untangling Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann’s short story, “Three Paths to the Lake.”

Read MoreShow less

Featuring torrefied solid Sitka Spruce tops, mahogany neck, back, and sides, and Fishman Presys VT EQ System, these guitars are designed to deliver quality tone and playability at an affordable price point.

Read MoreShow less