Pink Floyd is one of the most recognizable names in rock-and-roll. Their iconic album covers have graced the walls of many a college dorm and loose-fitting T-shirt, their music is loved by fans of all ages. Across their 15 studio albums, the band has garnered over 11 billion streams on Spotify alone—a number which likely pales in comparison to the listenership they enjoyed in the pre-streaming era.
By the way, did you know that a used Dark Side Of The Moon vinyl record will run you up to $40 USD in 2025? What’s that about? Who are we kidding?
I digress.
I count myself among the millions of fans who adore the enduring legacy of Roger Waters and David Gilmour. I even have a soft spot for Syd, despite his controversial legacy. However, lingering on Pink Floyd and their contemporaries as the end-all, be-all of psychedelic rock also comes with some drawbacks, believe it or not.
Worshipping at the altar of Floyd, one might miss some of the absolutely remarkable acts that have emerged in the past 20 years, some of which might eventually come to rival the creative genius of the band that inspired it all. Let’s go over just 3 of my top picks; hopefully, we discover something new together.
- BAMBARA
Georgia, USA-based post-punk outfit BAMBARA are far from new, but, in my opinion, have yet to garner the attention they so clearly deserve.
BAMBARA is a great example of a band that has a clear affection for Pink Floyd, but has gone to great creative lengths to incorporate those motifs into a larger, more modern vision. Across their 5 (arguably 6) full-length albums, BAMBARA paints a surreal, often horrific picture of the American Southwest, all while playing in that heady, skating instrumental space that Pink Floyd so often inhabits.
While many BAMBARA tracks don’t “sound like” Pink Floyd, every once in a while you will come upon a song like “Made For Me”, which, in its plodding pace and spaced-out instrumentals, certainly call to mind a bygone era of psychedelic rock. Likewise, Dark Circles, from 2018’s “Shadow On Everything”, carries that strange aura that runs through much of Floyd’s discography, especially in its use of chorus effects and tambourine to accent the detached, melancholy tale spun by lead vocalist Reid Bateh.
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
We move on now to a more direct example, a band drawing not only from Floyd’s motif, but also from their explosive creativity and release cadence. The Australian band, formed in 2010, have seemingly made it their mission to develop a century-spanning legacy in a decade-long time frame. Their discography now contains 26 studio albums and counting, 5 of which were released in a single calendar year, and all of which are available for free.
In terms of Floyd-spiration (you have to pay me royalties if you use that, by the way), the band is the very standard of modern psychedelic rock. Ambergris, for example, off of 2022’s “Omnium Gatherum”, borrows the warbling synth reminiscent of Floyd’s Richard Wright, while introducing a more contemporary-sounding bass and vocal mix.
Many of the tracks off of the band’s seminal “Polygondwanaland” could also be said to share many Floyd-like traits. Tonally, the album is brow-furlingly severe and sprawling, calling to mind, in some ways, the episodic and varied soundscape of “The Wall”. It’s a generous comparison, to be sure, but wait for a rainy day to dig in and immerse yourself, and I think you’ll see what I mean.
- Thee Oh Sees
Rounding out our list, I’ll highlight a less obvious example in Thee Oh Sees, or, as of 2020, simply Osees, this is another entry that has been around for as long as I have been alive, and yet I rarely hear their name in discussions of psych rock and its modern legacy.
The band began as a solo project launched by John Dwyer in 1997, the band has evolved many, many times since. Undergoing several difficult-to-track name changes and uncountable shifts in their sonic profile, the band have dipped in and out of Floyd territory for their entire evolution.
Some tracks, like A Foul Form, have nothing to do with Pink Floyd whatsoever; much of the band’s catalog is raucous, almost nerve-wracking in its intensity, delivering devastatingly fast and brutal soundscapes liable to send one into fits.
Other tracks, however, like those off of 2013’s “Floating Coffin”, bear a closer resemblance—at least in instrumentation—to Floyd in their golden years. The sonic variation on this album alone is worth noting. Strawberries 1 + 2 is the best example of this; from the growling, droning guitar to the distant, soaring vocals, this is classic psychedelia for a punk rock audience—no small feat, given the distance, both culturally and temporally, between those two scenes.
Return To Your Roots!
Of course, the best way to experience Pink Floyd for yourself is simply to listen. There are plenty of extremely skilled tribute bands out there for you to enjoy live, or you could, of course, revisit the original band’s expansive discography.
I recently found myself returning to the band’s first album, which, ironically, sounds perhaps more contemporary and experimental than their later work. Chalk it up to Syd Barrett, maybe? Either way, go listen to Pink Floyd, and check out the bands I mentioned: you won’t be disappointed!
Originally published via Medium.com on behalf of Floydium, circa May, 2025
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