GAL brings Punk back from the dirt with new EP ‘Rot Away Together’
I would normally start this out with a semi-lengthy intro but if you don’t know by now, GAL is living, breathing proof of the other side of this pandemic’s toll on the music industry as we know it. Proof in a good way that the world may have gone to shit but there’s still bits and pieces of our past lives we can find every day within the music we listen to. Taking from personal experiences throughout the past 18 months, Rot Away Together is a record that finds you when you just got your heart ripped out as the opening track Valencia plays in the background. The range of emotions coming from the vocals in the chorus, ever-so-amazing Drum work and guitars that keep the foundation of heartbreak standing when it clearly wants to bring you down, all feel chaotic and full of passion which follows off the tail of standalone single Yur Dog .
Secondly, Singe is by far my favorite track on this record. It doesn’t waste any time in going from zero to sixty with it’s high energy riffs, driving bass lines and raspy-yet-powerful vocals from Chris Lajca that has a bit more of a showcase on this record than their previous two. The band’s excellent delivery on all fronts multiplies through the song detailing mixed signals from someone who just appears at every turn. The bridge of this song lives up to its name being that it carries the listener from a state of hysteria to hallucinating grooves with a very Downtown Battle Mountain-esque outro that will catch you off guard and dancing in your shower.
Bitterfruit dials the energy back and does some more emotional harm with it’s vampiric lyrics on that one person that’s always had your interest but the thought of being forward is too scary in itself. ‘Do I swallow my pride, and end this all tonight? There’s no losing myself to you’ sticks out as some of Nico’s most honest words yet as we can all relate to.
Quarandream is the EP’s lead single that pinpoints the boredom, restlessness, anxiety and that need of company we all faced during those first few months of lockdown at the beginning of last year. Thinking back to a year and change later, I’m honestly glad we all made it through the absolute shitshow although we lost way too many people, experiences and memories to count in the process. The song’s vibe and approach goes for a lighter tone and feel. As seen in the awesome video shot by Solarverse Studios, the band is quarantined together and trying to find ways to pass the time...by any means necessary.
Finally, Pretty Boi is the closer of the EP and longest song GAL has ever written. Here we have Chris taking over vocal duties. Funny enough, the airy and dreamy guitars remindly of Philadelphia’s very own Mannequin Pussy and their work from Romantic and even Patience. The song details a one-night stand in the winter and the barrel of monkeys that comes along with it. From it’s slow build to the eventual boom of a full band session and impeccable guitar solo, this song closes up the story and leaves the listener wanting more yet satisfied with the amount of everything we’ve been given so far.
If you’d want to check out this record for yourself, Click HERE to save/stream it on Spotify or HERE to buy it for 5$ on Bandcamp to directly support the band as well. For everything GAL, Solarverse Studios, and more follow their respective pages below:
GAL
https://www.instagram.com/gal.ny/
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Solarverse Studios
https://www.facebook.com/solarversestudios/
Myself (RadThad)
https://www.twitch.tv/radthad01
https://bsky.app/profile/radthadmedia.bsky.social
https://www.facebook.com/radthadmedia
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