OUTLOUD! Records, 20 November 2021
More fun and aggressive pop punk charm from the underappreciated Gungans of Naboo.
The Gungans, one of several offshoots of Grim Deeds, have been kicking out pop punk since the start of the pandemic. The stuff doesn't come out as frequently as the main act and is typically sillier, exploring themes like JNCO, Street Fighter, and Jar Jar Binks rather than existential crises, anxieties, and social dysfunction. But the songs across the board are catchy and sometimes aggressive pop fodder that loves to get stuck in my head. The hilariously titled Squirtgungan mostly fits that same mold but also works in a couple of twists.
Squirtgungan's songs revel in pop hooks. “Ode to Naboo” has a sort of Chuck Berry-goes-surf guitar riff that grabs my brain and holds on for dear life. And the singalong vocal melody imparts silliness like “swim with me, you will see, I can love you tenderly, in love with you, ode to Naboo”. “Empty Shelves” is another pop punk winner, layering a nice subtle lead guitar overtop one of the catchiest riffs on the record as Deeds tosses on a catchy melodic vocal like a cherry on top. “I Want You Back” has some more of that fantastically fun lead guitar and it has a little more buzz and pace to it. The guitar riff is reminiscent of “Blitzkrieg Bop” and when the layered vocals do rounds singing “I want you back” down the backstretch, the song hits just right. Then there's “Show No Mercy”. Before first hearing it, I imagined it as a Slayer tribute. I'm not sure that's what we have here, but the fast cool descending guitar riff is pretty devious and sticks around for a bit and with lines like “kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out”, I'm not so sure that it's not either.
Other stuff on Squirtgungan points to a pop punk take on a skate punk sound. Songs like lead-off “Another Way”, “None of the Above”, and “Time Never Waits” have a fast galloping pace and enough “whoa-oh's” to keep Bad Religion fans attention. “I Won't Go Down” is a fast stomper with a really insistent guitar line that leaves a mark. And two of my favorites on here, “Messing With Me” and “Stay Alive”, play with hooks that really dig in. The backing vocals on the “Messing” chorus are some of my favorites on the record and the breakdown where everything drops out but the galloping drums goes over well. Then, the chorus on “Stay Alive” is maddeningly catchy. In a certain way, I'm hearing a pop punk Pennywise on some of these songs (looking through a few notes I jotted down while listening, I mention being reminded of Pennywise on at least three different songs), right down to certain vocal tones and melodies and some of the defiant “stand up and survive”-type lyrical ideas. And they're done right.
Squirtgungan brings the goods through all the hooky pop punk goodness and the more aggressive “whoa-oh's” and light speed sprints. I've listened through a bunch over the past week and have yet to find myself skipping past songs. I like these Gungans a lot and maybe, just maybe, I might come around on Jar Jar yet.
Favorite song: “I Want You Back”
Favorite moment: the “Empty Shelves” guitar riff
Favorite whatever else: the Squirtgun-ripping cover is positively fantastic
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He's very secretive, he might be an alien.