Brooklyn - Guantanamo Baywatch, a group Best New Bands caught wind of at last year’s SXSW Festival, and a band that has built their reputation on wrangling up a bawdy mishmash of classic surf instrumentation and brash garage rock, has just released a new single titled, “Corey Baum’s Theme.” Today also marks the start of a lengthy North American tour for the band, the full list of dates which is shown below.
The west coast trio owes a hat tip to Dick Dale’s guitar licks and The Sonics’ primitive blown-out strut. In the past, Guantanamo Baywatch has cranked everything into the red; making traditional motifs sound far nastier than their musical forefathers intended. The group’s existing sound has come from a cross-pollination of tremolo-picked leads and basement-band brashness. Now, with forthcoming new album, Darling… It’s Too Late (out May 12, 2015 via Suicide Squeeze Records), the band has broken away from their burying-the-needle-on-the-four-track sound, and, traveled down to Atlanta’s Living Room Recording (Black Lips, The Coathangers, Jacuzzi Boys) to track with Justin McKneight, Ben Coleman and Ed Rawls.
Guantanamo Baywatch guitarist and vocalist, Jason Powell states,“Oldies weren’t lo-fi[.]” Through Darling… It’s Too Late, Guantanamo Baywatch sought to harness and manipulate the sparkling sounds of the past, all while staying true to the tape hiss and rough takes of analog recording.
“We really wanted a mixtape compilation sound to the record,” Powell explains further.
According to Powell, each individual song was approached with all the amps and the EQs on the recording console zeroed out. That meant that every song was recorded with a new template. The title track and lead single, “Too Late”, perfectly captures this new aesthetic. Burger Records soul singer Curtis Harding also contributed backing vocals and rounding out the classic Motown ballad vibe of the track, making “Too Late” an enormous departure from the trashy Mummies-esque ruckus of Guantanamo Baywatch’s earlier recordings. That said, the band hasn’t completely left behind the rowdy surf rock sound heard on previous releases.
Powell put the finishing touches on the album back at his Jungle Muscles Studio in Portland to keep that rough-hewn feel intact. Still, even when he and his bandmates Chevelle Wiseman (bass) and Chris Scott (drums) tread on their familiar territory with songs like “Raunch Stomp” or their cover of Eddie & The Showmen’s “Mr. Rebel”, there’s a newfound clarity, punch, and swagger heard in their sound. A play through of Darling… It’s Too Late shows the trio continuing to experiment with various sub-genres; from the dusty Western twang of new single, “Corey Baum’s Theme” to the straight-outta-Sun Studios rocker track, “Do What You Want.”
Darling… It’s Too Late comes out May 12, 2015 via Suicide Squeeze Records on CD, digital formats, and 1,000 copies of peaches-and-cream vinyl. Find more info HERE.
Guantanamo Baywatch Tour Dates
05.01.15 – Eugene, OR @ KWVA Birthday Show at WOW Hall
05.29.15 – Oakland, CA @ Golden Bull
05.31.15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
06.02.15 – Tucson, AZ @Hotel Congress
06.04.15 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas
06.05.15 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Cafe
06.06.15 – St. Augustine, FL @ Amphitheater backstage BBQ
06.07.15 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
06.08.15 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
06.09.15 – Asheville, NC @ Tiger Mountain
06.11.15 – Baltimore, MD @ Wind-Up Space
06.12.15 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Pharmacy
06.13.15 – New York, NY @ Elvis’ Guesthouse
06.14.15 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Wick
06.16.15 – Montreal, QB @ L’esco
06.17.15 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Explosion
06.18.15 – Toronto, ON @ Johnny Jackson
06.19.15 – Detroit, MI @ Painted Lady
06.21.15 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
06.22.15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
06.25.15 – Calgary, AB @ Sled Island
06.26.15 – Calgary, AB @ Sled Island
06.27.15 – Calgary, AB @ Sled Island
06.30.15 – Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret
07.02.15 – Seattle, WA @ Therapy
07.04.15 – Oakland, CA @ Burger Boogaloo
07.05.15 – Oakland, CA @ Burger Boogaloo
06.17.15 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Explosion
