THE GULLS - NUDE BEACH

The Gulls

Nude Beach
self-released; 2014

3.7 out of 5

By Eva Cantillo

The Gulls is a group from Rhode Island giving its listeners a serious dosage of fun, island-inspired pop music. They claim this album is the perfect summer playlist, and from listening, the songs all carry the persona that is summer; care-free vibes, fun, partying, love, lust, beaches and of course, nudity.

While listening to their album Nude Beach I am reminded of bands like Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, Fountains Of Wayne and Modest Mouse. There is an innate island persona to all the songs on Nude Beach and they result in a super relaxed state of mind.

They kick off with an addictive pop song entitled "Mayboline"  that has melodies that are bound to get stuck in your head by the the time the second chorus rolls around. Even the drum beat gets stuck in your head. It's a straight forward tune that isn't to flashy with gimmicks.

The second track titled “Will You Wanna” is a comical track about “scoring.” “My momma’s dying of the flu and all I do is think of you… will you wanna kiss me in the morning when the memories are drunk.” The song reeks of reggae and rock from the ‘90s.

The next song “Throw Me a Bone” is also quite interesting. It has more of a dance feel to it and I can see a crowd jamming to this one. “Throw me a bone, open the door, honey I’m home… throw me a bone, who are you kidding I know you’re alone.” This song is kind of a weird twist of The Beach Boys on acid; it is quite an entertaining listen.

They close with arguably the highlight of the album entitled "Tragedy".  The band strikes an almost perfect balance between light poppy goodness and emotional weight.  It feels upbeat but has an emotional weight that makes it a very appealing song.

The Gulls have successfully achieved creating a post-modern indie reggae sound. I can’t help but think about the ‘90s style of rock music while listening to Nude Beach. The recording of the album is also successful and I’m sure it’s not as good and fun as their live shows.

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