Columbarium Niches

Psychic Flowers — 2026

“Psychic Flowers return bigger, looser, and more varied on Columbarium Niches, turning 20 songs into a comeback that never feels bloated.”

Five years is a long time between Psychic Flowers records, but David Settle is clearly making up for lost time. After bringing his other project The Fragiles back in January with Sing the Heat of the Sun, Settle has now revived the fuzzier side of his songwriting with Columbarium Niches, packing 20 songs into 42 minutes. What I like most is how much ground it covers without feeling bloated. Opener “Diamonds in the Sky” kicks things off with a muscular groove that has a little “Owner of a Lonely Heart” punch before Settle gets back into his fuzzy indie wheelhouse. There is less feedback and outright speed this time, leaving room for the acoustic refinement of “Dust Cloud Descends,” the repetitive bass line that gives “In Time” its head-swaying pull, and the minute-long instrumental charge of “Matryoshka Brain.” Then “In My Own Way” arrives near the finish and tears through its 1:29 as Settle sings, “Another bridge has crumbled / A new detour has appeared,” while the guitars and drums sound like they are being played without anything to lose. For a record that was supposed to be around 12 tracks, I love that it is not. This longer version captures more of Settle’s personality, which makes the record more interesting because of it. Columbarium Niches is fantastically noisy in parts, melodic when it needs to be, surprisingly varied, and exactly the kind of oversized comeback that earns its runtime.