Gateway District
Partial Traces E.P.
*** out of *****
The Minneapolis based rockers Gateway District are at it again with their brand of power -pop-punk that motors. Conceived as a side project the group has produced albums that are on par or surpass their main acts and Partial Traces continues their style for 5 more excellent songs.
Consisting of Maren Macosko - guitar/vocals (The Soviettes) Carrie Bleser - bass/vocals (The Salteens) Nate Gangelhoff - guitar (Banner Pilot, Off with Their Heads, Rivethead) Brad Lokkesmoe - drums (Dear Landlord, Rivethead) the group don't get fancy but reward with their simple style.
Buffeted by the fine fighting vocals between Bleser and Macosko the tunes take on a broken hearted feel that jives with Minnesota winters countered by the upbeat playing and lyrics that shine like rare January sun through depressing snow.
The short bursts of power punk flow in and out with ease but also add tricks to catch the ear such as the distorted guitar outro to "Skyline Drive" or the chugging intro that mimics the boats engine on "Staten Island Ferry". A track like "Corner Store" is right in their wheelhouse as it displays what the band does best but the closer "Coyotes" is the most exciting offering a nuanced feel with it's tempo changes, blasting drums and cinematic lyrics.
Any fan of high energy rock and roll should spin by the Gateway District, and Partial Traces is as good a place as any to start at.
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We simply love Perfect's Gonna Fail, which now thanks to bandcamp you can stream right here. We loved it so much it made our top 3 from 2011. Somehow we missed their 2012 release, Old Wild Hearts, but we are in the process of grabbing that one right now. This EP is more of the same.
Support the band here, grab the disk here or stream it below:
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