Gum

Album Review: Gum, 'Gum' (Self-Released)
By Kellen McGugan, For The Oklahoman
August 22, 2014

Oklahoma City’s Gum is on the forefront of the rock vanguard and has taken its time with this self-titled debut. No stone has been left unturned, and no detail has been breezed over. From the jump, there’s a sense of a band that has a purpose in giving an eponymous release something more than just 11 songs. In every click and clack, every bang of the drum and every crunch of a guitar and dawdle of keys, there is a band creating an identity and musicians craftingOklahoma City’s Gum is on the forefront of the rock vanguard and has taken its time with this self-titled debut. No stone has been left unturned, and no detail has been breezed over. From the jump, there’s a sense of a band that has a purpose in giving an eponymous release something more than just 11 songs. In every click and clack, every bang of the drum and every crunch of a guitar and dawdle of keys, there is a band creating an identity and musicians crafting something that leaves a mark. something that leaves a mark.

“Care About Nothing” is an excellent example. Rambling drums take a dip in a wash of keys while Joe Bello’s confident tone carries the song that shows, deep down, the need for a symbiotic relationship with someone or something. The song builds beautifully as that wash of synth slowly possesses the entire track. On the track “Loves Her,” the Interpol-esque drive of instrumentation sets the scene that maybe love could be in the cards. “Though we still pretend to be alone/ how can we believe what we don’t know?” Bello asks. It’s an interesting observation that even when things go great, humans tend to wallow in their sorrow at times.
“Weird Dream” gives itself over to the Air “Pocket Symphony” styling, with an absolutely gorgeous piano line skipping like a stone on a silent pond that is Bello’s melody before giving way to Gum’s clever guitar work. Rhythmically, “Weird Dream” excels in such a way that it does just enough to give the song that drive that “Gum” is teeming with. Few moments stand out on any record the way “Fly Me to the Ocean” does, with the way it simply gives itself to the melancholy of its own pace, slowly forming into a beautiful cataclysm of thundering drums and guitars that ache to roar.
With rock music being the ever-evolving enigma it will always be, Gum has put its own warped, oddly beautiful spin on the norm, constructing a record that questions the true genesis of loneliness, depression, loss and ultimately the redeeming power of love. “Gum” does us the favor of finding the beauty in all these things. It’s a record to share with your friends, and it’s a record to smile about. - The Oklahoman

Review: GUM's new self-titled LP
by William Muschinske
08/25/2014

With GUM being no strangers to the Oklahoma City music scene, it’s no surprise that they release an album that carries so much confidence. From their first demo in 2009 that landed them a spot at Wakarusa, the Make it Sound New EP recorded at Bell Labs in 2010 to this newest album, progression is a word that’s been on their minds for a few years now. With a new eclectic sound holding hints of Bon Iver-style vocals and Bear Hands rhythms and melodies, their expressed influences of The Beach Boys and Guided By Voices clearly shine through.

Upon receiving this album and taking it home and playing it through my system at home, I started hearing whizzes and other added details that didn’t exactly shine through laptop speakers. When recording this with Trent Bell over at Bell Labs, they had a chance to sit down with the songs, re-work some, and achieve that vision. From dancier tracks such as “Golden Years” to more somber and cerebral cuts like “Fly Me to the Ocean,” this collection of eleven songs, written between 2009 and 2012, ebbs and flows through an indie dream. Complex synth sounds and piano tend to be the main focus in the mid range throughout most of the tracks, giving these songs a sense of congealment almost telling a story from opener “She Was Nervous” to the album closer “So Long”. An exuberant amount of different instruments were used as well as heavily affected guitars, huge sounding drums, intelligent harmonies, and lyrics that manage to keep you guessing despite feeling straightforward.

When asked about what’s next with GUM and where they plan on going with this record I was hit with the answer “hopefully turn another out pretty quickly.” If that’s foreshadowing, let’s hope they come through, considering this album is sure to be a hit and catch the ears of some heavier hitters.


Favorite Track: Golden Years

Favorite Lyric: “I remember you when you were young. Swimming through the river to the sun.”

Listen to while: crossing state lines; softly humming in the background of your car speakers as you sit atop your hood pulled up next to a quiet, though large body of water; drives home in the morning from where you passed out the night before.

Buy the record over at gummusic.bandcamp.com and follow the band on twitter/IG: @gumtheband - Bricktown 500

Track Debut: Gum's excellent new song "Weird Dream"
By Nathan Poppe | August 19, 2014

Gum just might be one of the best kept secrets in the Oklahoma City music scene. Hopefully, that starts changing after you hear this exclusive first listen to the track “Weird Dream” off of the band’s upcoming self-titled LP.

Gum frontman and Oklahoma-native Joe Bello met me inside of Saint’s in the Plaza District on Monday to discuss the two year creative process that went into making “Gum.” Fresh from helping paint a church/practice space, Bello arrived and confessed he was nervous to chat about the album. He said he looks at the record as a single piece of art and it was a challenge to dissect a song like “Weird Dream.”
He reached for his iPhone and read some notes about the track:
Anxiety about being attracted to or loving somebody. Maybe a new person and how that stuff can manifest itself in a dream.”
Bello admitted he was weary to go into too much detail. The lyrics clearly paint a love story and it must hit close to home.  He said the album is especially personal for himself and bandmate John Baber. The duo did a majority of the writing for “Gum,” which “touches on some raw subjects.” But Bello clarified that he isn’t self-conscious about the new record.
What if this is the last thing we make?” he asked. “We want to be proud of it.”
And he’s very much proud of it. Rightfully so, especially thinking about how much can happen and change in a matter of two years. Gum stuck with it and didn’t give up. Now, it’s about seeing if other people like it too.
You can hear the band (consisting of Joe Bello, Levi Bello, Sam Bray, John Baber and Taylor Dragoo)  for yourself on Saturday when the quintet celebrates the release of “Gum” at The Opolis alongside Chase Kerby and Elms. Physical albums will be available at the show, and you’ll definitely be able to hear how hard the band worked when they recorded with Trent Bell at Bell Labs Recording. - News Ok