A devotion to disharmony and an amused understanding of an absurd world exemplify just how punk Gun Outfit is to their core. Don’t let their quaintly melodic guitars and gentle, weary vocals fool you. Originally from Olympia and now based in Los Angeles, Dylan Sharp and Carrie Keith make elegant songs both for easy listening and for deep introspection, depending on what you’re in the mood for. The follow-up to their 2013 release Hard Coming Down, Gun Outfit will release Dream All Over on October 16 via Paradise of Bachelors.
“Gotta Wanna” is the record’s first single and it’s a perfect blend of grace and unrest. The way Sharp and Keith’s dual guitars play with elegance and the expansive feeling of their vocals might recall an image of a desert or a countryside, rather than the urban landscape Gun Outfit is actually more familiar with. In an interview with The Media, Sharp explains, “The city really only makes me understand better my specific way of relating to nature, the vaguely ritualistic wandering around outside alone or with friends and very few others, and what I value about it.” In the song, he acknowledges the contradictory existence of city-living: “Wanna squirm around / ‘Cause I’m a wild primate.” Keith’s verse turns a whimsical “wanna” desire into a dark “gotta” need: “Gotta have room to move / So I don’t go insane.” The song impressively makes this flip subtle, mirroring the unfortunate ease with which humans vacillate between wishfulness and desperation.
