Mandragora - Mandrake Handshake (Official Video)

London psychedelia collective Mandrake Handshake burst onto the scene with hypnotic introductory cut ‘Mandragora’, set for release July 30th.



Formed at Oxford University where they lived, hung out and rehearsed together on campus, the eclectic ten-piece were christened after a song by The Brian Jonestown Massacre, incorporating their influences of krautrock, funk, Japanese animation and Latin pastoral poetry to create a unique brand of ‘Flowerkraut’ that vividly defines their sound.



Recorded at Press Play Studios in Bermondsey, the indie-stonery outfit joined forces with one of their heroes in Stereolab’s Andy Ramsey, perfectly capturing their raw and unfiltered potential, with ‘Mandragora’ marking the first single from the band’s debut EP out later this year.



“We played the basis of this song first at a house party and were feeling pretty inspired by some of the funky riffs floating around”, the group detailed. “We wanted to think about funk as it might exist in some sort of psychedelic dystopia. These experimentations resulted in an introductory song to the mandrake: a plant root thought to look like a human that folklore states would produce a deathly scream if uprooted. The root has hallucinogenic and narcotic properties, and has been used in magic rituals and pagan traditions. Mandragora warmly invites you to shake her hand”.



Produced by Stereolab’s Andy Ramsey, Mandrake Handshake’s ‘Mandragora’ is released July 30th and will be available on all digital platforms.

Mandrake Handshake is Rowan Janjuah (guitar, synth, bass, percussion), Trinity De Simone (vocals), Liv Duval (vocals), Elvis Thirlwell (tambourine, percussion), David Howard-Baker (flute, saxophone), Eris Nishku (tambourine, percussion),Charlie Arrowsmith (guitar), Danny Jeffries (bass), Shan Sriharan (synth, organ), Joe Bourdier (drums)

Video animated by Silke Blansjaar (www.instagram.com/slappesnaps)