Satin Gum
EP
Self-Released; 2008
I have waxed poetic before when discussing the emotional status of an eager, fresh-faced new group. Regardless of the genre, there is such an unreserved, unapologetic glee that emanates from such music, a rich combination of pride and self-satisfaction because the band now has a physical manifestation of their hard work to market and parade about to their fans, friends, and families. But what really excites me as both a fan of music and as a critic of music is when the quality of the tunes matches up with the band’s over-the-top joy, and that’s exactly what’s occurred here with Satin Gum. This power-pop trio has recently released their debut EP, a tidy four-song effort possesses sonic goodness, yet leaves the guys room to grow. “Apparitions (Sweet!!!)” is a disarmingly catchy track that combines shimmering pop and sludgy guitars, while “I Got a D.U.I., Babe” comes across as one guy’s drunken, tongue-in-cheek, half-hearted apology to his best girl (including the line, “Anything I ever said about love, it’s just the whiskey talking.”). Serving as the standout track of the project, “No, We Are Not Naming Our Kids After Ikea Products” features lo-fi vocals, droning waves of guitars, and a cleverly syncopated rhythm, and then the EP concludes with its most straight-ahead rock song, “Running Red Lights.” All told, Satin Gum wears its influences very easily, weaving together elements of spazzy, noisy post-rock with up-tempo pop-rock, so it will be interesting to see how these three men progress with the development of their sound. Here’s hoping they can learn to stretch a three-minute pop ditty into a cascading, feedback-soaked six-minute anthem in the near future.