Gross Magic
It's becoming more and more difficult to achieve a totally unique style in music nowadays. This has seen the development of many scenes over recent years less about looking to the future, but instead harking back to and reviving past music scenes. Gross Magic, the solo project of former ' Hocus Tocus' member Sam McGarrigle runs on nostalgia, he slots into the lo-fi glam-rock revival label quite comfortably alongside the similary hazy Ariel Pink and the recently scuzz-free Smith Westerns.
Gross Magic creates the kind of slacker-pop you'd expect from someone only recently out of adolescence. His music is lazy and woozy on the one hand, but equally it showcases an ambituous young man writing some phenomenally grandiose pop songs, channeling the spirit of Marc Bolan at his most flamboyant '20th century boy' peak. While comparing Gross Magic to the T. Rex frontman may seem a bit presumptuous, he certainly has the right framework in place, most notably with the song 'Sweetest Touch' in which Sam's slightly frail almost feminine voice recounts the tale of being desperately infatuated with a girl in the most hopeless way. "Still cant believe she knows my name" Sam wonders, over an infectious squealing glam guitar riff and crashing drums. The rest of Gross Magic's debut EP 'Teen Jamz' is similary lovelorn and impressively accomplished, 'Cant ignore my heart' also permeates deeply, this time with added synth twiddling and yet more distinctly teenage confessional lyricisms. All in all, not bad for a kid from Brighton armed with nothing but kick-ass musical influences and a DIY laptop knowhow.
EP 'Teen Jamz' is available for purchase from thesoundsofsweetnothing.bandcamp.com
EP 'Teen Jamz' is available for purchase from thesoundsofsweetnothing.bandcamp.com
By Toby McCarron
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