It’s nearly 15 months since garage punk duo The Gooch Palmsrelocated from their coastal home in Newcastle to the city of Los Angeles. In that time, they’ve chalked up over 150 live showsand developed a reputation as one of the most entertaining bands this side of Saturn.The Gooch Palms also found enough time to collaborate with producer Bill Skibbe (The Kills, Jacuzzi Boys, The Black Keys) on their second LP, Introverted Extroverts – their first album via their own label Summer Camp Records.
For those unfamiliar with their music, this is some serious let your hair down and cut loose shit. Introverted Extroverts contains a mix of poppy garage punk with more than a hint of Californian surf rock, which goes a long way to explaining why they’ve hit the ground running in LA. It’s really catchy stuff right across the board.
Opening track Living Room Bop sets the tone for the album: a song about staying in and dancing all night in your lounge room. It’s pretty appropriate, because each spin of this album will make you feel like doing exactly that. Lead vocals are often shared between Leroy Macqueen and Kat Friend, and they work together extremely well. A couple of the tracks – Tiny Insight and Wasting No Time – have a real Weezer vibe to them, while latest single Ask Me Why brings out a bit more of that punk attitude.
Many of the songs fall short of three minutes, and are sharp catchy tunes fuelled by fun energy. The Gooch Palmsare not too dissimilar to that band that you used to rock out and get juiced to at house parties when you were 16. If you enjoyed those parties, you’ll enjoy this album.
By Eben Rojter
