Not even a year old, San Geronimo are already beginning to make waves; not quite Tsunami size just yet, but they are definitely worth watching out for. Having just released their debut EP Sugar Skull, this Whitehead three-piece will soon be gigging somewhere near you.
San Geronimo is comprised of three friends: Jack Kerr – vocals and guitar, Adam Moore – guitar, and Sam Ferguson – drums, who have known each other since primary school and all of which have a variety of musical tastes and influences (this I can vouch for, I’ve known Adam for a few years now and I would definitely give him at least some of the credit for how diverse and achingly cool my taste in music is now).
This diversity is evident from the word go, with each of the five tracks on Sugar Skull sounding inherently different to the last, but still with a definite ‘ house style’ which ties them all together.
The beginning of the first track Take It Off, gets the whole EP off to quite an uneasy start with a tense, troubled opening. However, this quickly gives way to a much lighter sound with splashy cymbals, upbeat drums and unrelenting guitar. Jack Kerr’s vocals (in this track at least) have a certain Arctic Monkeys, very British feel to them that is unusual and refreshing in an age where everyone sings with an American accent.
The next track, Improvisation #1 (Blackhead) is an improvisation that was (like the entire EP) recorded in Sam’s garage using a singular Blue Yeti USB Microphone to capture a raw live sound. The title ‘Blackhead’ refers to a cliff in the band’s hometown of Whitehead. This track is much more delicate than the first, with a gentle start that fades in to haunting guitar and subtle drums, with very obvious funk influences. In my personal opinion, this sounds a lot like some of And So I Watch You From Afar’s older stuff, which for a brand new band, is not bad at all!
Next up is a cover of The Cure’s The Lovecats – a ballsy move covering such an influential and recognisable song, but one that pays off undoubtedly. San Geronimo give this classic a modern, much funkier make-over (minus the cat calls) which is a really interesting approach. This is one of my favourite tracks on the EP, purely because you can see from how they’ve approached it, just how talented this band are.
After the rapid pace of The Lovecats, comes Improvisation #2 (Whitehead). Named after another cliff, parallel to Blackhead, Whitehead creeps up on you very, very gently. You can hear each individual element that makes this track up, and with the same drum pattern as Whitehead, it feels familiar and ties the whole EP together.
The final track Dolphin is another gentle one which sounds a lot like A Walk Through Hell by Say Anything. With cymbals crashing like waves and Jack’s uniquely soothing voice this song is about, as Jack tells us, “the reluctance to leave someone even though the separation is inevitable”.
For such a new band, Sugar Skull is a highly intelligent and thought provoking EP, showcasing the band’s talent and array of influences and I urge you to give them a listen.
You can download their debut EP Sugar Skull here.
Find them on Facebook here.
