The arrival of a new Ozric Tentacles album is always something to celebrate, but arguably more now than ever. When Ed Wynne’s untameable psychedelic warriors rose to something approaching prominence in the early-to-mid-90s, the UK was a hopeful and optimistic place. Fuelled by the energy of a thousand free festivals and delighted by their own fearless musical cross-pollination, they experienced what Wynne now agrees should be known as an “accidental commercial peak” and, against the odds, fit neatly into a flourishing British music scene that was increasingly comfortable with itself. Three decades later, Ozric Tentacles are releasing their new record – Lotus Unfolding – into a much darker and less hopeful world, with financial trauma, political turmoil and environmental disaster all weighing heavy on our post-Covid brains.
“In a way, I’ve always felt that the music we make is an escape
