GUM & Ambrose Kenny-Smith – “Minor Setback” & “Old Transistor Radio”

We love it when the Australian psych bands mix and mingle. GUM, the project of Tame Impala/Pond member Jay Watson, has teamed up with Ambrose Kenny-Smith of King Gizzard/Murlocs fame on a new 7″ single. It was released physically for Record Store Day over the weekend, and now both songs are online.

These tracks make great use of Kenny-Smith’s fiery, soulful delivery by lacing him with a funky synthetic backbeat. A-side “Minor Setback,” which arrives with a video by Jacob Armstrong, also has a spicy keyboard solo, while B-side “Old Transistor Radio” matches Bonham-esque drum thwacks with an almost country-blues approach. Both are worth your time.

A quote from Watson:

I make a lot of music, but often don’t have the voice or the steez to put a vocal on certain pieces of music. I’ve known Ambrose for 10 years or so now and I’ve always loved his voice, a mix of garage rock and soulfulness. We’ve talked about putting something out together for a long time. I reached out to him and the songs were done in less than a week. Might have to make a whole record!

And here’s one from Kenny-Smith:

When GUM hit me up to sing on a few tracks of his I was super excited! These songs are way funkier than anything I’ve ever worked on before. After he sent me “Magic Mountain” by Eric Burdon and War as a reference for the vocals he was wanting from me I was instantly 110% in.

Listen below.

“Minor Setback” b/w “Old Transistor Radio” is out now on Spinning Top.