Apr 14 2010

Currently Digging: Gauntlet Hair

I imagine Lafayette, Colorado, feels like Lubbock in many ways.  It’s probably not as isolated as we are out here in West Texas, five hours from anything.  After all, it’s a skip away from Boulder and is close enough to Denver to be a legit suburb.  But when I listen to Gauntlet Hair, I get the feeling that there is a small, dedicated group of kids looking for something more than what is being offered, far from the shopping malls and skate parks, far from the Coca-Cola-sponsored arenas and dingy hip-hop night clubs, far from the culture-less void that is a quiet mountain town.

Gauntlet Hair are two dudes named Andy and Craig who call Lafayette their home.  They played Todd P‘s MtyMx Festival, and they have been affiliated with Denver-based Rhinoceropolis.  Forest Family Records, the new Gorilla Vs. Bear/Weekly Tape Deck label, has plans to release the band’s first single next month.

The single in question, the most-blogged about track from the group, is called “I Was Thinking.”  You can listen/download below.

Prefix Mag described the song better than I ever could:

“…a pretty insatiable guitar stomp that throws some R&B and soul into the lo-fi revival pot, mixing heavily-reverbed guitars with a simple, but undeniably booty-shaking beat. Add in some Animal Collective-style vocal melodies and you’ve got something pretty fantastic.”

Fantastic.  That’s the word.

Gauntlet Hair – I Was Thinking