Gauntlet Hair is the duo act of Andy R. (lead vocals and guitar) and drummer Craig Nice. But listening to this album you’d think there were way more than just two people up there; filled with huge, blooming guitar with lots of reverb and echo effects, electronic drum and cymbal crashes, their sound is enveloping, expansive, and never lets up. The vocals have a slight grunge-rock feel and are half-shouted, whooped and spit out in an only partially discernable way, but even if you can’t tell what he’s saying, the energy and emotion still register. Gauntlet Hair uses a lot of hand-clapping and chanting choruses, but most tracks have a cool edge that balances out the sugar-sweetness. The tracks are all heavily layered and often have internal transitions between time signatures and moods. This band just has so much going on.

FCC clean

1. Keep Time** – Squeaky, distorted guitar opening, hand-clapping, big, driving percussion, huge uplifting sound with delicate guitar lines overlaid, vocals blurred and blend into other instruments
2. Top Bunk** - More laid back beat, swooping, blooming, echo-y guitar sound, vocals grungy and half-shouted, hand-clapping, fades into next song
3. Mop It Up – Harder guitar sound, vocals and percussion have more of an edge, percussion is less beat and more constant, driving noise
4. My Christ – Reverb guitar opening, laid back beat, repetitive lyrics switch into a huge blooming chorus of shouts
5. Lights Out ** - Added synth mixes with huge rock sound in cool contrast, opens with distorted Beach-Boys guitar line, fades into an outro of blooming, ambient chords
6. Showing – Slower track, 70’s rock feel, vocals more of a focus here, expansive sound with synth and guitar tinkling in the background
7. Overkill - Huge distorted guitar opening, uplifting, jangly, Edward-Sharpe like shuffle punch that ends abruptly
8. That’s Your Call – Lots of electronic percussion sounds interrupt hand-clapping, shouted chorus
9. Shout In Tongues – More edgy guitar and vocals, lots of cymbal crashes, transitions to melancholy chorus line with atmospheric guitar