After performing at a short-lived house show in the York District on Halloween, Crater Lakes released a new single with a music video called “Gulch Days.” Though I missed their set at the show, I arrived just in time to see it get shut down by the police. Must have been quite the party. “Gulch Days” has a very DIY-vibe. The visuals remind me of a home video tape. Not the kind you would see today, but the kind that resonates in the hearts of every ‘90s kid -- a VHS-like video that brings back memories of tedious rewinding and fumbling with VCRs. Crater Lakes describes their genre as dream twang, combining the reverb and effects of dream pop with the twangy sounds of beach rock. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK5MUk4TLy0&app=desktop[/embed] This single is the perfect introduction to the band’s style, as it opens with a great surf groove, but the addition of the laid back vocals give it that “dream vibe." Although it’s hard to understand the lyrics with the amount of effects being used, they add an eerie tone to an otherwise upbeat sound that I really enjoy. I’ve been excited about Crater Lakes ever since I first heard about them through one of their members, Ryile Smith. He previously played in the Everett-based band Fauna Shade, one of my favorite bands, and joins Dineh Elizabeth on vocals and guitar and Erik Fure on drums in this band. They released this single in anticipation of their debut album of the same title. There isn’t a release date yet, but according to their bandcamp the album will be made available on cassette “very soon.”
