The Gnomes – More EP

One of my favorite debuts last year came from Aussie upstarts The Gnomes. The young band had a indelible ability to channel the seeds of punk that trickled through garage a decade prior, evoking the bands who failed to fit into the mold of dapper down Beatle-boot nice boys. With The Kinks’ fuzz tone as their compass rose, the band’s debut was full of snarl and strum, a bounty of hooks with hidden knives. They follow up quickly with a digital EP that pushes their sound even further. With a few nods back to the debut’s rave up rippers, they also push further into a heaviness that was only hinted at before. The EP opens up with the thunder and sneer of “Thinking of Me,” a song that’s battered with bluster and ready to burst. Previous peek into the EP, “Magic Man” is in the running, already a cemented favorite around here. “Don’t Worry” hews closest to the record, the kind of ‘60s romper that’s always ready to tear a bit more tumultuous on stage. Then they close out the record with a little smoke and seethe that feels like it would fit right in with the California contingent swirling around Segall / Primitive Ring / Hooveriiii. A nice hint of things to come and an essential companion to their record from last year.