by John Glab (@glabglabglab_)
Often entrenched in the busy clobbering of a 9 to 5, or whenever, to whenever the bosses feel to maximize profits as is now typically the case, it can be hard to find the time to create something or be around those who care about you. In its most primal form, playing music is a way of fulfilling this desire. Somewhere Down Below, the new album from Pittsburgh outfit Gaadge, was created in that spirit. Formed by Mitch Delong around 2014, and now consisting of band members Nick Boston, Ethan Olivia, and Andy Yadeski, the group came together to form an album that bridges a lot of sounds under the immense umbrella of indie rock.
Differing listening paideia and a strew of inspirations are woven together into grungy, gravelly songs. The band isn’t afraid to point out the influences that went onto the record. Delong himself told of his love for the band Autolux. The similar punchy, airy sounding percussion, like it's echoing the dust off a warehouse’s dingy walls, calm but mildly irritated vocals, and dark sludgy riffs show through on many of the tracks. The reach of Guided By Voices has its grasp on the band as well. The song “Don’t Go There” reflects that and sounds just like a song from the Ex Pilot’s album that dropped earlier this year, which adds up since that band is headed by Olivia and consists partially of a rearranged Gaadge. Delong also notes the vibrant Pittsburgh scene that surrounds the band, and how its demiurge of creativity has left an imprint on them. He said specifically, “I see bands live and I’m just like I really want to do that, it’s too good. That pushes me to want to try and do certain things mixed in with what I already do.”
Within Gaadge’s arsenal of sounds are plenty of noisy shoegaze-like guitars. Indicative of the current indie climate, especially around Pennsylvania and the rest of the Eastern Seaboard. The songs “Komarov” and “Mundy’s Corner” best showcase this. They have distorted grumbling, almost droning riffs, made to tickle the brain, yet still sounding shady. This is paired with non-tonal hisses that nestle their way into the soundscape. However, this is a sound the band has moved away from with it being less present compared to their previous releases.
What best describes Somewhere Down Below are droves of quick impulsive indie rock songs, that vary in emotion. Jangly and fuzzy tones parry with often-disgruntled vocals. The downtrodden, slowly shuffling drum machine on “No Go” is counteracted by creaking bendy guitars, and on “Any Timers” the weary nature of the song is pepped up by poppy “ba-ba-ba-ba” backing vocals.
A light amount of chaos glazes over some tracks on the record. On “Candy-Colored” a hectic drum pattern gives some organization to jumbled-up static guitar groans and other very discordant sounds. It ends with the lightly repeated bark of “nothing left to discuss.” With the track “Oh Wonder” the same short continual guitar riff chirps throughout the song, subtly changing chords in a hypnotic cacophony. Just before is the blistering and loud “Nanty Glo” where even though it’s fast-paced, it doesn’t feel aggressive. It’s the kind of song where you find yourself moshing to it with a resting body and a straight face.
All these songs were written and recorded in a four-day span. That spontaneity shows through with how decisive and unmuddied the tracks are. Delong said that the process began with little scraps of ideas, where someone else would write a part over it and so on until it left a completed arrangement. It was inherently four friends in a recording studio seeing what cool things they could make.
The song “White Water” best exemplifies that spirit. In the studio, the band found an old rotary telephone with an XLR cable plugged into it and thought “Can we use this?” So, in essence the song is just a steady jam with each member taking turns saying improvised phone call lines into a staticky phone microphone. The band is relishing their time together in the short spaces between working their jobs. That’s all music needs to be. Somewhere Down Below captures that vibe of creating music because it’s enjoyable, which contrasts an atmosphere where often many people are worried about “making it.” The album invites you to come along, hang out and jam with everyone.