Tuesday 10/6: Gulfer—"Nature Kids"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Montreal emo band Gulfer.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Montreal emo band Gulfer.
Gulfer—"Nature Kids"
Eric Bennett:
Gulfer is one of those bands that I see people get very excited about, but I hadn’t ever really given much attention to. With the upcoming release of their new self-titled record, now seems like as good a time as any to give them a try. I take a very long time to try things when they are heaped with praise, often to find that I have inadvertently been denying myself joy. Gulfer, and their new single “Nature Kids” seem to be another instance of this in my life. It’s math rock, which I think is fine but annoying when it gets overdone, but I still like it. The vocals are shoved so far down in the mix that they meld with the instrumentation and become one. There’s a heaviness to the track that catches my attention from the start and reminds me of Double Grave or Ovlov, a sound that I am increasingly finding myself drawn to. This album is out 10/16, and I’ll certainly have to grab a copy.
Eli Enis:
I, too, have been sleeping on Gulfer. I gave their 2018 album Dog Bless a few college tries back when it came out and it never quite clicked for me, but the singles from this new record have been hitting the spot. I like “Nature Kids” because it’s an emo song with plenty of twinkling and a head-bobbing drive, but it’s also pretty ~chill~ to listen to. It reminds me a bit of another (defunct) Topshelf Records band, Donovan Wolfington, given that there’s a bit of bleary shoegaze mixed in with the melodic emo. I don’t know exactly who “nature kids” are in the context of this song, but I like that there’s a bit of mystery to the lyrics. Good band, good tune.