Tame Impala and Pond member Jay Watson – who also records music of his own under the name GUM – has teamed up with Ambrose Kenny-Smith of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and the Murlocs for a pair of new songs.
The two tracks – A-side ‘Minor Setback’ and B-side ‘Old Transistor Radio’ – were released over the weekend as a 7″ vinyl single exclusively for this year’s Record Store Day. Now, they’ve been made available to stream online, with ‘Minor Setback’ arriving alongside a video created by Jacob Armstrong. It’s as trippy as the track itself, which pairs kaleidoscopic, psychedelic production from Watson with Kenny-Smith’s vocals.
GUM – ‘Minor Setback’ (feat. Ambrose Kenny-Smith’
“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,” Watson said in a statement. “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!”
Kenny-Smith added: “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.”
Watson’s last album as GUM arrived in 2020 with Out of This World, while Pond released latest album 9 the following year. The Murlocs – whom Kenny-Smith fronts – will release their new album, Calm Ya Farm, next month.
Further Reading
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Review – Frenetic Momentum and Kinetic Energy in Sydney
The Murlocs Announce New Album ‘Calm Ya Farm’ and Share First Single
Pond’s Nicholas Allbrook Announces Tour, Shares New Single ‘Round Round the Moon and All’
