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GUM COUNTRY (members of The Courtneys) share shimmering new track ‘SOMEWHERE’ off debut album

April 7, 2020
Photo by the band

GUM COUNTRY

Debut album Somewhere announced, out 19th June

Video for title track ‘Somewhere’ shared

Gum Country today share their woozy, shimmering ‘Somewhere’, the title track from their debut album of the same name. The band sees Courtney Garvin of The Courtneys team up with drummer/synth player Connor Mayer, as they blend the warmth of C86 bands with fuzzy guitars and sharp songwriting. Somewhere is out 19th June via Kingfisher Bluez (Canada), Burger Records (US), Dinosaur City Records (Australia) and Waterslide Records (Japan). 

“I wrote ‘Somewhere’ a couple years after moving to LA”, explains Garvin of the track. “It’s about leaving a place that you are comfortable in and landing in a strange new one, and discovering what parts of your identity remain and which were left behind. The first line I wrote was ‘haven’t felt this way in a while, I can’t think straight can’t hide my smile, i guess this is gonna be my life for a while‘, and then it was just a process of unravelling that thought. I think the song could be about the range of emotions that come with any big change, and ultimately settling on a mellow excitement for vulnerability.”

Garvin added: “It’s pretty serious subject matter for Gum Country, and I blame it on the poetry class I was taking at the time.”

Gum Country are a Canadian indie rock band brought to you by vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Courtney Garvin (The Courtneys) and multi-instrumentalist Connor Mayer. The project began in Vancouver, Canada as a series of lo-fi four track recordings made in an apartment, very quietly. These recordings were released as a self-titled cassette by Lolipop Records in 2017. After moving to Los Angeles where they currently reside, the pair recorded their debut full-length album Somewhere with Joo-Joo Ashworth at Studio 22, this time at full volume.
 
Their self-described “harsh twee” draws on groups like StereolabYo La Tengo, Meat Puppets, and The Magnetic Fields, enveloping and transforming these influences in the warm embrace of Garvin’s fuzzy open-tuned guitar tone. Mayer’s driving drums and melodic keyboard accompaniments provide a backdrop for these rich textures, casually blending digital and analogue to produce a sound that would feel right at home on NME’s C-86 compilation. 
 
The songs on Somewhere meander through the highs and lows of daily life, touching on subjects ranging from love, loss, and anxiety, to tennis, video games, and gardening. Garvin navigates these topics with humour and sincerity, her unassuming delivery riding amidst the swirling instrumentals like a snowboarder shredding fresh pow.
 
The band performs live as a three piece, with Mayer on drums and keyboard at the same time. Halle Saxon Gaines usually plays bass, but there are occasional appearances from Lauren Early and Luna Nuhic.
Somewhere will be released on June 19, 2020 on vinyl via Kingfisher Bluez (Canada), and cassette via Dinosaur City Records (Australia) and Burger Records (USA), and CD via Waterslide Records (Japan).

Tracklist

 Somewhere
The Queen Rules
Tennis
There’s A Crumb
I Don’t Stay Up
Pills
Brain Song
It Lives It Breeds It Feeds
Whoa Oh
Talking To My Plants
Jungle Boy
Waterfall

https://gumcountry.blogspot.com/

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1 Comment

  • Reply Gum Country estreiam-se com "Somewhere" | Magazine.HD April 8, 2020 at 4:12 pm

    […] em artistas como os The Replacements, The Breeders e Yo La Tengo, a banda utiliza a expressão “harsh twee” para se referir à sua música. O projeto começou num pequeno apartamento em Vancouver com um […]

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