LISTEN: GUM

Jay Watson used to drum in Tame Impala. He’s shifted to key/vox duties, but also spends rest of his time donning copious amounts of denim and manning the wah-pedal for Pond. His side project GUM has been kicking around for a while, but ‘Delorean Highway’ is the first track to be released. It’s a given for beatmakers to go solo, but GUM is just another venture to sprout forth from the promiscuous psych-punchbowl of Perth bros playing in bands for bros (Tame Impala / Pond /Allbrook & Avery / Mink Mussel Creek / Dee Dee Drums / Space Lime Peacock/ Shiny Joe Ryan… yeah yeah).

There’s going to still be a large handful of people who are going to dig on GUM just out of curiosity or perhaps fan-referred value. However, I did hope that any sort of Tame Impala side project from drummer guy here would have opted out of Kevin Parker’s slow-burning cosmic whaff in exchange for something a bit different (ie. Jono Boulet‘s ‘powerviolence’ band, Snakeface). Watson’s vocals are more gruff here, and while it does still sound like a slowed down chunk of Tame, I’m still digging this. ‘Delorean Highway’ reminds me a little of this cover Tame Impala did a few years ago.

That percussion plucked straight out of Psychocandy lends it the spaciousness it vies for…but besides that, it’s a little flat until the cosmic juggernaut reels out later on. Anything past the two minute flag does well for an ascent in the Tardis. Gum’s record is going to be released early next year. All ears.

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