Gum Country is vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Courtney Garvin (The Courtneys) and multi-instrumentalist Connor Mayer. The project started in Vancouver as a series of lo-fi four track recordings made in an apartment. After relocating to Los Angeles where they currently reside, the pair recorded their debut full-length album Somewhere with Joo-Joo Ashworth at Studio 22.

Ahead of the release of Somewhere, Gum Country have shared a video for the album’s lead single and title track “Somewhere” that was inspired by 80s and 90s performance music videos. Courtney explains,”I wrote ‘Somewhere’ a couple years after moving to LA. It’s about leaving a place that you are comfortable in and landing in a strange new one, and discovering what parts of your identity remain and which were left behind. The first line I wrote was ‘haven’t felt this way in a while, I can’t think straight can’t hide my smile, I guess this is gonna be my life for a while’, and then it was just a process of unravelling that thought. I think the song could be about the range of emotions that come with any big change, and ultimately settling on a mellow excitement for vulnerability.”

If you dig Yo La Tengo, Stereolab, The Replacements, Meat Puppets or The Magnetic Fields, Gum Country might be your new favourite group.

Gum Country
Somewhere
June 19, 2020
Burger Records (USA) / Kingfisher Bluez (Canada)

1 – Somewhere
2 – The Queen Rules
3 – Tennis (I Feel Ok)
4 – There’s A Crumb
5 – I Don’t Stay Up
6 – Pills
7 – Brain Song
8 – It Lives It Breeds It Feeds
9 – Whoa Oh
10 – Talking To My Plants
11 – Jungle Boy
12 – Waterfall

Somewhere will be self-released digitally on June 19 and on vinyl by Kingfisher Bluez (Canada), cassette via Burger Records (USA), Dinosaur City Records (Australia) plus CD via Waterslide Records (Japan). Pre-order it here.

“Somewhere” Lyrics:

Little happy face on my foot
A memory from another country
traced around a coin, the ink is fading
I can see I’m bending this way
Toward the sun, toward the sand
A dream inside

Puffy cloud, a silhouette
I trace my steps and look back for just a sec
I’m thinking about what’s around the bend
Just movin’ along being who I am
What’s that hat called again?
And how do you wear it on your head?

Haven’t felt this way in a while
I can’t think straight can’t find my style
I guess this is my life for a while

Haven’t felt this way in a while
I can’t think straight can’t hide my smile
I guess this is gonna be my life for a while
For a while

I’ll walk around, I’ll walk around until I find
myself around here, myself around here somewhere

I don’t really mind, I don’t really mind until I find
myself inside here, myself inside here somewhere
Somewhere