OUTLOUD! Records, 12 January, 2021
Try to get these songs out of your brain. I dare you.
Mr. Grim Deeds, the prolific Bay area music maker and one-man band machine, always seems to have four hundred and seventy-three different projects going on. And it’s sort of astonishing how much of it is good. Pretty much everything gets filtered through a pop punk lens, but each project finds its own niche. The Gungans (taking a name from the disrespected, controversial, and mostly hated Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks) is maybe the purest distillation of buzzing singalong pop punk that Deeds has yet to offer. And Kablooey, this five-song EP, is a vein shot of hooks.
On Kablooey I’m never sure which song is my favorite any given time I listen to these songs. Each song pushes hooks to the max and I end up singing along long past the end of the record. It’s gotten to a point where I can listen to the record in my head without actually listening to the record. The singalong melody, Ramones riff, and fun Street Fighter-referencing lyrics of “Ryu vs Ken” certainly digs deep. And the hyper-repetitive chorus of the speedy “Leggo My LEGOs” turns into a tongue-twisting mess whenever I try to keep up, but it’s catchy as all-get-out and the key change in the second half is spot on. The hilarious 90’s-flashback “JNCO Jeans” makes me smile when he sings “all the Korn fans know what I mean”. “She’s Always Looking At Her Phone” has maybe my favorite bass line on the record and the “always looking at her pho-oh-oh-oh-one” melody is so awesomely simple and endearing. “Don’t Make Me Go (Out To Costco)” is awesome, too. More repetitious singalong parts on the chorus and another well-timed key change for good measure. There’s not a song on here that’s a skipper. The lyrics are funny and fun (and a little nostalgic and insightful) and the music just buzzes and pops – no frills, no garbage – just pure pop punk.
The Gungans Kablooey is a pretty fantastic way to spend 8 minutes of your life. You’ll smile, you’ll connect, and you’ll sing along. And then you’ll play it again. And again. Enjoy.
Favorite song: “She’s Always Looking At Her Phone”, maybe
Favorite moment: the “they are best friends but rivals, too / they both through fireballs flaming blue / but only one winner can be the World Warrior, true” lines from “Ryu vs Ken”
Favorite whatever else: the tongue-twisting chorus of “Leggo My LEGOs” is pretty awesome
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
