Review Summary: Don’t blink, and don’t turn your back now.
When I first discovered Virginia noise punk band Gumming, it was a pretty standard affair. I was browsing for something to listen to and was drawn it by the stark, black-and-white cover for 2018’s Human Values. That record was a proper introduction, blasting you in the face with sharp vocals and sloppy production; a true punk rock hello if I’ve ever heard one. The same was true for their self-titled debut, which was even more raw and lo-fi. Gumming is, by my account, what all punks should strive to sound like. They might grate on the ears at times, but that’s to the benefit of their thunderous sound. So with the group’s 3rd album, Overripe, I thought I knew what to expect going in. And, for the most part, my expectations were met. Gumming have unleashed another great album into the expansive bandcamp punk-o-sphere.
Never one to overstay their welcome, Overripe is a succinct 27 minutes; again, proper punk stuff. Over the course of 14 tracks, they zig-zag from place-to-place. “Good Stuff Cheap” is a hyperactive little number yet manages to stay reserved in tempo. Emilie Von Unwerth’s vocals do overtime on pretty much every track, but here especially, with her gravely yelps in a violent tug-of-war with the guitars and drums. Honestly, my voice hurts by proxy listening to some of the tracks off this album. Those throats growls towards the end of “Read the Room” sound painful but are they ever worth it.
Much of the album follows this pattern: loud, fast, noisy, done. However, there are a few tracks with some dynamics. “Fancy” has this rhythmic drive hidden beneath the fuzz, and “His and Her’s Fashion” dips its toes into a slightly-off, alternative rock sound. While these experiments are hit-or-miss, I can appreciate Gumming’s attempts to expand their sound in a meticulous way. May not be very “punk rawk” of them, but a sprinkle of new ideas does help keep everything fresh.
But while I really enjoyed Overripe, there’s still a bit of an issue I need to bring up. An irrational and honestly silly issue, but I think it’s relevant, so here goes. Sometimes we see things where there isn’t really anything there. Like when you see faces on cars or something like that, you know what I mean. And on the album’s very first track, “Slipstream,” there’s a lyric that kind of stuck with me in a strange way:
“Sleep with one, eye open."
"Don’t blink, and don’t turn your back now.”
The song is clearly about paranoia and isolation of some kind, perhaps a stalker or the government. While that may be, that last lyric perfectly (and unintentionally) describes Gumming as a whole: blink, and you just might miss them. It’s a stretch I know, but as much as I like this group, I don’t consider them particularly memorable. These last 3 albums of theirs zip by so fast, it’s hard to get attached to any one song or a particularly good refrain. You may as well be listening to a 30-minute live show where all the songs blend together. That may sound fine for some purists, but it’s hard to really justify a full listen when a 2-minute track is all you really need to get the general idea.
All that said though, I don’t think Gumming really mind. They’re only 4 years into their career mind you, but the band seems comfortable with their little slice of the pie. They fill a very needed niche in the punk world today: simple, cathartic, noisy punk rock you can scream along to. And if that’s what you’re looking for, Overripe will definitely have you yelping along until your vocal cords give out.
