West coast stoner quartet GOON’s debut release on Partisan records mixes shoe gaze, garage and blues, with woozy 60s hippiedom, leaving you guessing their next move at every turn.
Three years since inception, frontman and driving force Kenny Becker ably supported by Drew Eccleston, Andy Polito and Caleb Wicker have achieved something of a cult following in their hometown City of Angels, enhanced with a sprinkling of critical exposure in the right places.
GOON’s first two EPs, ‘Dusk of Punk’ and ‘Happy Omen’, both originally released independently, have also enjoyed their own Partisan reprise, testament of the label’s fondness for their new discovery, eager to hoover-up and disseminate as much of their back catalogue as possible, any rougher edges not detracting from the charm of the material contained within each EP.
On first listen to the monster riff that opens ‘F Jam’ the curtain-raiser on ‘Heaven Is Humming’ you’d be forgiven for thinking the band, finally holding the keys to the album door, had gone off on a new heavier direction. This is reinforced on ‘Northern Saturn’ and the turbocharged power pop of ‘Deny’ although by this time, the listener’s undivided attention has been partly soothed by the more ethereal ‘Black Finch’, and its gloriously expansive harmony outro.
With this in mind, the dreamy strings of ‘Snoqualmie’ come as a complete surprise, all of a sudden you’re transported in a 1970’s Cadbury’s Flake advert, the focus decidedly softening. Next comes open road rocker ‘Cammie at Night’, turbocharged shuffler ‘Datura’, slightly doom laden ‘Critter’ as well as dry ice infused ‘Mem’ before we’re let down gently with the lush hymnal denouement of ‘CCLL’.
Words - Mike Price
GOON official
Heaven Is Humming is released on July 19th via Partisan Records.