Desert Center

Description

Guantanamo Baywatchs new album Desert Center opens with Conquistador, an instrumental track displaying enough fretboard savvy and fiery twang to make The Challengers proud. However, any notion that Guantanamo Baywatch are strictly adhering to one facet of rock n rolls classic era is dispelled by the soulful swagger and unabashed pop of Neglect.

Its an inadvertent juxtaposition maintained through the entirety of Desert Center, with blazing instrumental nuggets like The Scavenger alternating with the protogrunge and golden oldies mash-up of a track like Blame Myself.

Like their 2015 album Darling Its Too Late, Desert Center was primarily tracked in Atlanta at Living Room Recording with Justin McNeight and Ed Rawls, with Jason Powell doing the bulk of the guitar tracks on his own at Jungle Muscle Studios.

While Guantanamo Baywatch initially made a name for themselves with their early blown-out recordings, Desert Center retains the raw aesthetics of a Hasil Adkins single but has the added heft and thump afforded by a modern studio. This balance is perhaps best captured on Video, where bassist Chevelle Wiseman drives the tune with a thick, throbbing riff while drummer Chris Scott ruthlessly pounds his kit with a crashing clarity guaranteed to please even the most snobby analogue audiophile.

LP format includes digital download code. Initial copies on amber coloured heavyweight vinyl.

Guantanamo Baywatchs world tour kicks off in late August.