Gross Magic
BIOGRAPHY
Gross Magic is the name that Brighton-based musician Sam McGarrigle has chosen to release his music under. As those of us of a certain generation will know, Gross Magic is a children’s magic set that all the cool kids had at school (needless to say no one in the Rockfeedback office qualified), and this association accompanies the naïve and endearing nature of his sound, as documented on his Teen Jamz EP, released in early August.
McGarrigle was previously in Hocus Tocus with his cousin Mike, a band who never really threatened to make it big, but still managed to produce some nice lo-fi surf rock before they broke up. It was the split that forced the creation of Gross Magic, a way to release the demos he had begun recording on basic kit at home on his lonesome. The first track that surfaced was ‘Waiting For You’, a song which sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack of an 80s teen film, rather than whipping up a frenzy across the blog landscape.
The attention his first track received spurred McGarrigle on to create a mini-album’s worth of material, which eventually saw the light of day as the Teen Jamz EP. First track ‘We’re Awake Tonight’ adds a T-Rex bassline to a piano riff reminiscent of ELO’s classic ‘Mr Blue Sky’, creating a sound instantly familiar, but unusual at the same time. ‘Teen Jamz’ brings more glam-rock guitars, with a chord progression taken straight out of 50s pop records and McGarrigle’s fey vocals all wrapped up in a warm lo-fi Ariel-Pink hum.
Standout track ‘Sweetest Touch’ opens with a bassline that has been compared to Nirvana, before more fuzzed up guitars blast out an anthemia riff to pin you back against your chair. If you buy the EP from the band’s Bandcamp page (which we highly recommend you do) then 3 bonus tracks are included, including a track called ‘P.Y.T.’, which whilst not a Michael Jackson cover, acts as a homage to the legendary man child, a figure who is clearly a large influence on Gross Magic’s work.
Gross Magic is still in its embryonic stages, but the early signs are promising. No official word has been released on a full length album, but judging by their first EP, and the handful of live shows that have been performed so far (including supporting Unknown Mortal Orchestra at their Rockfeedback gig) we can expect something pretty special when one does finally arrive.
Check back throughout the week for more.
Links
Myspace
Bandcamp
Last FM
Facebook
Videos
Waiting for You
Sweetest Touch
We’re Awake Tonight