Galoshins – ep1 & ep2

By Kenny McMurtrie

February 05,2013

Gourock’s Galoshins manage 11 tracks between these two releases. Stylistically the trio have a sound that’s, er, rather varied to say the least. Dragging in elements of garage rock (‘The 4^th Chord’), math rock (‘B2’), jazz freakout & psychedelia (‘Chank’, the instrumental ‘B15’) as well as the bits of plain old indie and odd electronic squelch or two that tear through the two releases like so much shrapnel. There’s a lineage stretching back through such acts as Clinic and Devo here.

Listed in the accompanying blurb as employing only guitars, drums and keyboards they achieve a very pleasing sound with the keyboards very much to the fore and doing duty as both organ & synth, whilst a great many of the guitar parts change from driving individual songs forwards to more intricate work in the blink of an eye. Vocally things are generally pretty clear, whether Mark MacPhail or James Eyland are bellowing or singing in a more restrained manner.

Having been together for four years you’d maybe have expected releases before now but whatever the reason for the delay (possibly due to only recording ep1 in 2011 and ep2 twelve months later) they have at least been allowed the time to come up with a sound that is emphatically their own whilst clearly giving nods to the debts owed to earlier groups.

Further eps are promised for later in the year so by the sounds of things they’ll have a decent sized catalogue to choose from whenever they hit the road to promote their wares and you could do far worse than spend an hour or so watching them do just that.

ep1 & ep2 are out now on Armellodie Records and available from amazon and via iTunes.