Hailing from Austin, Texas, Black Gum is a band that makes surf-influenced pop/rock that's a little rough around the edges. They recently put out their Surf/Sludge 7", which seems to be the followup to a self-titled cassette the group released in June of last year, via record label/multimedia organization Monofonus Press.
As indicated by their titles, each song represents two distinct moods. The first, "Surf," spotlights a set of vocal hooks sung in a manner that forgoes melody in favor of personality. With its use of a basic blues chord progression, the song acknowledges that writing with compositional simplicity can sometimes be the most effective choice for an artist. "Sludge," on the other hand, features a much deeper male vocal and an overall heavier disposition. Despite their differences in atmosphere, both songs share the same catchy, straightforward approach that defines the release.
Stream the single above by way of the band's Bandcamp.