Gila Teen: SoftWareWolf
By Jack Rush
Gila Teen makes college rock for college dropouts, blending elements of post-punk, folk, new wave and indie-sleaze. The genre- benders eccentric songs nevertheless always seem to be a direct line into the anxieties and affections coursing through the cosmos at the given moment of listening, making them a perfect sonic prescription for heartache and longing.
The duo hails from the sleepy suburbs of Denver, Colorado. The two co-conspirators met in High School, and have been playing in various projects off and on for 15 years, creating an incredible chemistry. Inspired by late night drives through the mountains by their high-school homes, Aidan Bettis and Huntyr Moon developed a love and appreciation for Indie music as they would blast it from the car speakers under the careful watch of the Rockies and the stars.
Gila Teen cut their teeth in the Denver Underground punk scene, getting their start at the legendary Seventh Circle Music Collective, and moving on to the local basement show scene. This history gives them a sharper edge to their approach to their genre, blending punk techniques with midwestern indie sounds. The duo have an amazing check and balances system in the work together. If one has an idea that goes a bit off the rails, the other knows to reign in the intensity to find a fine-tuned and well crafted medium. Aidan handles the instrumentation, crafting both lush and beautiful soundscapes and more energetic tunes that honor the group's humble punk-rock origins. This allows Huntyr to focus on writing honest and earnest lyrics, inspired by heartbreak, burnout, religious trauma and economic catastrophe.
With their new album, "SoftWareWolf", the band is truly at the height of their craft, taking three years to shape the album to their creative vision. Working with their producer, David Reyes-Quintana, the three all spent hours upon hours working and re-working the songs to best reflect decades of friendship and musicianship. The album takes the band's history, and simultaneously honors it while dialing everything up to 11, paving an exciting new way forward. Tracks like "Reward If Found" and "Dracula Attackula" hail from their basement dwelling days, while "Local TV Guide" and "In Defense of Decaf" show the bands growing maturity and songwriting talent. Truly a labour of love, "SoftWareWolf" is the culmination of 15 years of friendship, heartache, and just a touch of magic.
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