Gum - Fast

Gum are a London-based four-piece who make shoegaze in its purest form. Following Kevin Shields' template of low mix vocals, peels of reverb and warped tremolo, the band have made a name for themselves circulating online demos and showcasing tracks through sites such as Soundcloud and YouTube.

Now, following interest from Plymouth-based indie, Art is Hard, Gum have their debut 7" Cherryade/Soon, scheduled for release this summer. A significant achievement for a group only formed last year.

Featuring Grant J Healey on guitars/vocals, Jessica Jordan-Wrench on backing vocals & bass, Dayoung Yun on drums and Chris Leader on backing vocals and guitars, Gum's output is a blissful hybrid of soaring noise-pop and rattling post punk. It's an explorative sound indicative of a group who, according to singer, Healey, arrived here having taken very different musical paths.

"Chris used to play in a great glam pop band called The Valentines. They're still very much active and worth checking out. I used to be in a metal 8 bit spazcore band called The Robot Ninja Dinosaur Bastards who, to everyone's pleasure I imagine, disbanded..."

It's a far cry from current offerings such as the desolate roar of Over and the surging Slow, but it does go some way to assure us that Gum (and its members) don't take themselves too seriously. A concept reinforced when questioned about the band's influences - to which we are told:

"Teenage couples in suicide pacts, teenage couples driving, teenage couples drinking, teenage couples murdering each other...".

It's a perplexing response, but we conclude it's probably another list of Healey's old bands.

What is for certain though, is that Gum are a genuinely exciting prospect. Comparable with contemporaries such as Ringo Deathstarr, they forge wonderful, escapist psychedelia. You can follow their progress at Facebook and stream their sounds (such as new track, Fast, featured below) from Soundcloud and MySpace.

Gum play The Waiting Room in Shoreditch, London on 26th of April.