Psychedelic blues rock from the delta that sounds similar to a skeleton driving a speed boat on a flaming Mississippi River headed back to 1969.
The Heavy Eyes was formed in 2010, initially as a four-piece jam band called Indian Sweat Lodge. However, as the band's song structure evolved and drifted from freeform jamming, and following the departure of the original drummer and one guitarist, they decided to change their name. The band was founded by Tripp Shumake, Wally Anderson, and Eric Garcia. Their earliest known performance took place on October 8, 2010. After releasing an EP titled 1 and an eponymous demo, The Heavy Eyes' self-titled album was released on August 22, 2011, receiving positive reception and gaining traction in the Memphis music scene.
The band signed with German label Kozmik Artifactz, which released their first album on vinyl. They then began working on a follow-up, Maera, which was released on December 29, 2012 (and later on vinyl in March 2013). The album received positive reviews from outlets such as Blues Rock Review, Guitar Ingenuity, Rock Freaks, and The Sleeping Shaman, among others.
To support both albums, The Heavy Eyes performed at several major shows, including appearances at SXSW and Freak Valley Festival in 2014. Despite the band members moving to different parts of the United States, they continued working on their third studio album. He Dreams of Lions was released on November 27, 2015, via Kozmik Artifactz, garnering positive reception from sources like Echoes and Dust, Metal Temple, Blues Rock Review, Ghost Cult Magazine, and New Noise Magazine.
The band performed at various festivals to promote the album, including Electric Funeral Fest, Monolith on The Mesa, Okanagan Tattoo Festival, and Planet Desert Rock Weekend. Notably, their long-time engineer Matt Qualls joined the band as a second guitarist. In 2018, they released a live track called "Home" and a live album titled Live in Memphis. Though the band took a hiatus due to members living in different cities, they began working on their fourth album in 2019, announcing details in January 2020.
Love Like Machines was released on March 27, 2020, via Kozmik Artifactz, receiving critical acclaim from Blues Rock Review, Under The Radar Magazine, Distorted Sound Magazine, and The Obelisk. The band was scheduled to perform at various festivals, including Stoned and Dusted, Keep it Low, and Up in Smoke, but these plans were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band began working on new material in summer 2020.
