Gumiho - 구미호
Hailing from Seoul, South Korea, here comes the pop-punk band Gumiho, who recently dropped an EP, entitled 구미호, which translates to “nine tailed fox,” according to Google Translate.
Gumiho
The EP was recorded at Siren Studio, Hongdae, and the Grand Hilton Seoul, and was mixed and mastered by Gumiho, which is composed of Caspin (vocals), Stephen (drums), Matt (bass, vocals), and Steve (guitar).
According to Unite Asia, which puts it like this: “the massive ocean of insane Korean punk rock bands,” Korea must be swarming with punk bands.
Nine Tailed Fox encompasses six tracks, beginning with “Destroyed Warranty,” opening on a thrumming stripped down punk melody topped by Caspin’s sneering, snarling riot grrrl voice, infusing the lyrics with urgent, demanding impertinence.
“Cold night toxic cough cash chunks brutal love / Where’s your life and where’s my life / Keep walking into the hideous light.”
Caspin’s voice surges with venomous timbres.
Tracks not to miss include: “Glittering Dreams” rides tight, muscular, dirty guitars on a driving rhythm that takes on chunking sonic shifts, giving the tune reckless stuttering energy. Caspin’s voice surges with venomous timbres.
“It doesn’t have arms / But it knows how to use them / It doesn’t have a face / But it knows where to find one.”
“Help Request” features a compact, energetic intro of rumbling drums, throbbing bass line, and a riffing guitar. There’s a wicked, serrated edge to the harmonics on this track, like a stainless steel knife. “Twisted Mine” travels on mega-dirty guitars flavored with stellar runs on the bass guitar, which dominates the deliciously unnerving breakdown, full of strident guitar colors.
Pounding percussion opens “We Create The Stars,” and then flows into grinding, buzz-saw-laced guitars, cutting and raspy. Caspin’s visceral tones imbue the lyrics with harsh-textured energy.
“When our hands get too tired / To hold this rusty rope / When our arms get too tired / To swim to the shore / We could float on our back / We could wade in the heavens / We could sail into blackness / We could rock in waves of shivers.”
Gumiho punches out raw, sizzling pop-punk. The minimalist harmonics intensify the music’s resonance into coarse, turbulent dynamics. Gumiho definitely has it going on.
