The self-titled debut album from somewhat mysterious Denver/ Chicago based duo Gauntlet Hair is a dreamy collage of sonorous noise pop, with a sound as elusive as the band members themselves. In an age when personal branding has become a priority for many musicians, Andy and Craig of Gauntlet Hair choose to remain low profile, first-name-only personalities in the inflated social media sphere. They instead allow their music to speak for itself.

And speak it does, in a fantastical and beat-driven language all its own.

The opening track, “Keep Time,” begins with a crackling assemblage of urban sound, a chaotic layering of found noises that metamorphasizes just as quickly as it begins into a climactic yawp hailing the triumphant entrance of vamping guitar and punchy percussion that pervade the entire album.

That which follows is a swirling play between light and dark entitled “Lights Out” in which the harsh static of a booming bass contrasts with a delicate falsetto vocal line, the two elements sewn together with a spindly and melodic guitar. The dichotomy between loud and soft, soothing and harsh, yin and yang, is a theme that recurs throughout each composition, appearing in “Top Bunk” as the juxtaposition of a heavily weighted electronically enhanced beat and an angelic, halcyon chant atop.

So soothing and trance-like is this album that at times it can border on redundancy. Tracks like “Mop It Up” and “That’s Your Call” can seem at first listen like movements of the same piece. But perhaps this was the artists’ intention. And although many of the tracks employ the same elements, the album’s seductive catchiness and undeniably sublime melodies redeem it from being classified as just another forgettable post-punk release.

The echoes of Gauntlet’s emotionally charged vocals, tinny guitar riffs, and crunchy bass lines are a narcotic blend of beachy surf rock, electronica, and spectral post punk in the tradition of Sonic Youth or Theoretical Girls. The result is an ecstatic and danceable sound, something like the score to a flying dream.

Rating: 9/10

Gauntlet Hair will be headlining a show at The Bishop on November 28th. Opening for Gauntlet Hair are Chandelier Ballroom, Skeletons & Baby and Hide. Doors open at 8pm, the show is $8 and it is an 18+ show. Valid ID necessary (no student IDs). The show will be co-sponsored by WIUX and Spirit of ’68 Promotions, check back at the Blog for free ticket giveaways soon!

By: Rachael Roof

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