Here are the most psychedelic-sounding songs by different grunge bands.
Grunge is a fusion of a lot of different styles of heavy music, but some of the most prevalent genres that influenced its dynamic sound are classic rock, punk rock and heavy metal. The Beatles, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Stooges and Black Sabbath were just a few of the classic groups that inspired the new sound that started in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-’80s.
The result was a visceral style of rock ‘n’ roll featuring distortion, sludgy riffs, odd time signatures, often harsh vocals and introspective lyrics. Each band had its own sonic identity and “thing” they were known for — Alice In Chains‘ haunting harmonies, Mudhoney‘s immense energy and fuzzy guitars, Nirvana‘s catchy hooks.
All of them experimented with different sounds though and thus many of them put out at least one song with a psychedelic ambiance. But because that’s not a signature of the grunge sound, these songs are a bit more of an anomaly.
A few of the bands, such as Soundgarden and Screaming Trees, were a bit more rooted in psychedelic rock, but most of the others generally had more of a punk or metal edge to their sound than a trippy one.
We rounded up the most psychedelic songs by 11 grunge bands, which you can check out below. They prove that grunge wasn’t always gray and gloom, but also had moments of color.
READ MORE: 12 Bands Who Are Considered Pioneers of Grunge
Check out Loudwire’s ’30 Years of Grunge’ series on YouTube!
- 1
Soundgarden, ‘Searching With My Good Eye Closed’
Album: Badmotorfinger (1991)
As we already mentioned, Soundgarden were one of the more psychedelic-based groups of the Seattle scene, so there were a few different options here. But “Searching With My Good Eye Closed” from Badmotorfinger has such a dreamlike, airy sound to it and even starts off with a talking children’s toy called a See N’ Say that makes the farm animal noises.
It’s such an eccentric, atmospheric track overall and it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s 6-and-a-half minutes long.
“There was something really trippy about it,” Chris Cornell said of the song in a retrospective interview. “I think there was something in that world of indie psychedelia that was still sort of heavy that we could do well.”
- 2
Alice In Chains, ‘Rotten Apple’
Album: Jar of Flies (EP, 1994)
Alice In Chains had plenty of colorful moments in their discography, but “Rotten Apple” from the acoustic Jar of Flies EP is certainly a standout. It sounds like an acid trip in the Wild West because the airy acoustics and the talk box at the beginning give it a slightly country twang.
Layne Staley‘s harmonies are hypnotic and mesmerizing throughout the entire track, working more as an instrument than a lead vocal and creating a sense of disorientation.
- 3
Screaming Trees, ‘Halo of Ashes’
Album: Dust (1996)
Of all of the grunge and grunge-adjacent bands, Screaming Trees were the most psychedelically infused, channeling a trippy garage-rock energy through most of their career.
Among their many psychedelic songs is “Halo of Ashes,” which is especially unique because of the shimmering, Eastern-inflicted guitar tone that’s delivers the same hypnotic effect as a sitar. That tone carries throughout the song, anchored by an energetic rhythm and Mark Lanegan‘s deep, airy vocals.
“Halo of Ashes” is ultimately the perfect blend of intensity and spacious, hallucinogenic textures. Much of the band’s later ’90s work is considered more grungy than what they put out earlier in the decade, but this song showed that they still had an experimental side.
- 4
Pearl Jam, ‘Nothing As It Seems’
Album: Binaural (2000)
Who needs hallucinogenics when you can just listen to Mike McCready‘s trance-inducing guitar work on Pearl Jam‘s “Nothing As It Seems”? It’s a slow-burning descent into introspection that feels like half-consciously drifting through a dream.
Eddie Vedder stays in his lower register throughout the track and delivers his vocals in a gentle and unsettling way that’s almost like hearing a voice echo in the distance. The rhythm section is subtle and the production is ambient — listening to it in the dark would essentially teeter on the edge of spooky.
- 5
Mad Season, ‘Wake Up’
Album: Above (1995)
It’s not often that you hear a vibraphone in a rock song, but that’s what opens Mad Season‘s sole 1995 album Above at the start of the song “Wake Up.” The ethereal, delicate instrumentation sounds like the most relaxing dream, then Staley’s familiar, emotive vocals carry you even deeper into a sense of calmness.
The second half of the song builds up dramatically, with McCready’s soaring guitar work that adds an otherworldly flavor, before digressing back to its soothing original pace. At 7-and-a-half minutes, “Wake Up” is a rollercoaster of consciousness, like drifting off to sleep, having a vivid dream and then slipping back into a deeper state of slumber.
- 6
Skin Yard, ‘The Blind Leading the Blind’
Album: Skin Yard (1987)
Skin Yard were like The Doors of the late ’80s because of just how bizarre and unique their sound was. “The Blind Leading the Blind” from their 1987 eponymous album was one of the earliest instances of psychedelia heard within the Seattle grunge scene.
The first few seconds of the song alone are rather unnerving, with screeches and guitar effects that slither back and forth like a serpent. Ben McMillan’s soft-yet-commanding vocals float over the hypnotic, fluid rhythm, creating an eerie and mesmerizing listen.
- 7
Melvins, ‘Boris’
Album: Bullhead (1991)
Melvins have always been one of the most experimental forces in heavy music. Diehard fans often point to the Lysol album as the band’s most mind-bending, psychedelic statement, but since it’s not available on YouTube or Spotify, we had to look for the next best thing.
“Boris,” the opening track on Bullhead, is the perfect runner-up. It’s a long listen at over 8-and-a-half minutes, but well worth it. It’s not “psychedelic” in the same way other songs on this list might be because it’s still unmistakably Melvins — heavy, sludgy and drenched in thick, fuzzy distortion. But the hypnotic repetition of the main riff creates a trance-like effect with a hallucinogenic edge.
- 8
Mother Love Bone, ‘Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns’
Album: Apple (1990)
Another instrument grunge bands didn’t use often was the piano, but Mother Love Bone’s sole 1990 record Apple opens with one of the most inviting and mesmerizing piano melodies you can imagine. “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns” isn’t psychedelic because it throws around trippy effects, but because of the ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere it creates.
Andrew Wood’s vocals float gently over the light, airy instrumentation like a sparrow in the wind. And even as the song blossoms into its fuller, more powerful second half, it never loses that soothing, drifting quality. It’s rare that a grunge track feels less like a song and more like a delicate moment suspended in time, which is what makes this one such a standout.
- 9
Green River, ‘Rehab Doll’
Album: Rehab Doll (1988)
Grunge pioneers Green River were generally more abrasive and garage-leaning than psychedelic, but the title track from their only studio album, Rehab Doll, is a rare moment where they slowed down the pace and let their creativity drift into new territories.
The guitar reverb and Mark Arm’s deep, echoing vocals work to create a hazy, slightly disorienting atmosphere. The track falls in the sweet spot of grunge, stoner rock and psychedelia, making it a highlight in their brief — but highly influential — catalog. If Green River hadn’t taken the risks they did, grunge as a whole may not have developed the way that it did.
