Ethan Miller Rebuilds The Odyssey Cult as a Psych Supergroup on Vol. 3

Nearly a decade ago, Ethan Miller released the first two volumes of the Odyssey Cult as solo recordings. Those 2017 tapes found Miller working alone, pushing the fuzz-driven logic of Comets On Fire into more private territory. Vol. 3 changes that equation.

The new record reunites Miller with Comets On Fire bassist Ben Flashman, and adds Anthony Taibi of Carlton Melton on keys. Drums come from Steve Shelley, the former Sonic Youth drummer who now plays with Miller in Orcutt Shelley Miller. Zoh Amba, who has lately moved toward rootsier singer-songwriter work, returns to saxophone here. The lineup is rounded out by Brigid Dawson of Osees, Paula Frazer of Tarnation, and Inna Showalter of Magic Fig.

That personnel suggests a specific kind of asymmetry: psychedelic rock veterans and players who have drifted toward other modes, pulled back toward distortion. The music on Vol. 3 is raw but structured, noisy but melodic. Miller has never been interested in tidy genre boundaries, and this record appears to extend that instinct through collaboration rather than isolation.

Vol. 3 is out now on Silver Current.