Labels: PPM
Review by: Andy Malcolm
For whatever reason, I am really falling for music of a certain nature right now. Rough, messy indie rock that I guess you could almost get away with bestowing the “grunge” tag on. Stuff like the excellent Sisters LP on Parts Unknown, that stunning Sleepwall 7″, and now this belting 45rpm LP from Gun Outfit. The band are a three piece with no bass, and they overcome the lack of punch that no bass can cause by creating driving songs with tangled guitars and great vocals. The male singer is mumbling in a monotone, and occasionally amidst his drawl they sprinkle female vocals that would have fitted well into the mid 90s emo scene that spawned the likes of Crash & Britany and Shroomunion. Stand out song for me is the stunning “The Valley”, which twinkles and stumbles in a gloriously, melancholy fashion – very similar to what you’d find on the 2nd Nuzzle LP. The songs Gun Outfit tend to deal in feature repetitious, jagged guitar that blazes a path that the singers can’t / won’t keep up with. Sometimes it sounds like the record is warped. I am pretty sure it isn’t. Tracks are short, there aren’t many of them, and things are done and dusted in a hurry. You might not be incited to spin the LP again right away, but you’ll certainly be coming back to it, I am pretty certain of that.