Photos by Marie Claire McCoy / Words from Willa Rudolph
NYC’s nu metal / rap rock hotshots Gun released a single “Casual Goon (feat. Nas Jee & NO!MAD Amir)” a couple weeks ago, a slammin’ music video for which is out TODAY, alongside their brand new album Neo Notown.
If you find yourself nostalgic for the 90’s rap rock heyday populated by the likes of Eminem, Limp Bizkit, Beastie Boys, Sublime, Beck, and Red Hot Chili Peppers (or Gorillaz, which are 2000’s of course) characterized by funky and fast-paced bass lines, thrashing electric guitars, aggressive drums, and even more aggressive vocals, then you NEED to listen to Gun. And even if you’re not nostalgic for that, they get pretty narsty and pretty hardcore, and the music is eloquent and complex, while still being consumable and fun. So you should still listen to Neo Notown… 🙂
The “Casual Goon” music video is so much fun–it really feels like a day hanging out with the boys–and that’s pretty much what we’re looking at! You enter the “boy house” (when I say that, you can picture it, right?) and watch the fools fuck around in a messy living room passing around a bong, watching a videotape on an ancient VCR, as lead singer/lyricist/guitarist Stavros Lari starts to rap and bassist Maria Galebach starts thumbing her addictive bassline.
The old TV breaks and drummer Billy Hay gets up to fix it, as they continue to drink and get sloppy, etc. We switch between this scene, the band performing and getting rowdy in a white-walled studio space (joined by Nas Jee and NO!MAD Amir spitting some hard bars of their own) and the band running around the neighborhood, eventually ending up in a bar where they play an arcade game with plastic guns and are visited by resident hot girl Sofia Zarzuela.
Features from rappers Nas Jee & NO!MAD Amir make the song so fun and add such an exciting dynamism to the sound of the record, but they fit in so seamlessly. Other features on Neo Notown include one from Le Bang on “Laser Gun,” which was a lead single from the project, and “Star-Crossed Fighters feat. Father Koi.” I love the effort Gun made to include other artists in their community and incorporate other artists’ very different vibes into their sound, but the songs are still utterly “Gun.”
About “Casual Goon,” Stavros says, “A casual goon is someone who looks like a criminal or like a criminal boss’ goon, but it’s actually just a chill mf.” He even made this comic to explain:
Similar to frequent collaborator Lola Lancón from Le Bang, Stavros has created an entire universe for Gun – strengthened by the down-ass-bitch-ness and creative minds of the other Gun members: Billy Hay (drums), Maria Galebach (bass), and Aadil Mufti (guitar). If you’re confused by my language, I just mean the entire band is so down with Stavros’ vision, that they really go with it and even add to it, and it really works for them.
Thematically, Gun and Neo Notown exist in this limbo (created by Stavros) between comic book, video game, and reality, with lyrics touching on politics, violence, and relationships both in a social commentary kind of way and also in a playful “this shit is so ridiculous” kind of way, pointing out the absurdity of it all and running with that.
Definitely keep up with Gun and delve into their world NOW – you will not regret!
