Melbourne outfit Cycad tap into a playful blend of indie rock, soul and dusty western swagger on “Gorge”, a standout cut from their forthcoming debut album Scouch. Premiering exclusively today, the accompanying video embraces a scrappy DIY spirit that suits the track perfectly.
Built around singalong hooks and a playful sense of storytelling, “Gorge” feels like the sort of track that was made to become a live favourite. The lyrics sketch out a strange little cinematic universe of shady characters, small-town tension and mistaken identity, all delivered with a wry smile and plenty of charm.
About the track, the band shared with the AU: “”Gorge is a track heavily inspired by spaghetti western movies and the common tropes included in them. The semi-ironic lyrics spell out a seemingly familiar story if you’ve watched any Clint Eastwood film, with some Marty Robbins-esque lines thrown in. It was a chance for us to experiment with Country and Western, a genre usually pretty unfamiliar to us, with the main chords coming about during a jam session. It’s one of our favourites to play live as we love the buildup of it, from the slow, almost footstep like intro, all the way to the double-time outro, never failing to elicit a few “yeehaw’s” from the crowd. It was also an opportunity for Eoghan to show off his impressive multi-instrumentali
The accompanying video captures that same energy perfectly. Shot alongside friend and videographer Sean Tolan, the clip embraces a warm DIY aesthetic, cutting between pool hall scenes at Preston’s The Raccoon Club and backyard performance shots that make the whole thing feel wonderfully homemade in the best possible way. There is a looseness and chemistry to the footage that mirrors the spirit of the track itself.
“The music video for Gorge was our first ever attempt at making a proper music video, with a $0 budget,” the band explain. “We worked with our good friend and videographer Sean Tolan over the course of two days to film everything, coming up with new ideas along the way. We were lucky enough to have an hour to shoot at The Raccoon Club in Preston before they opened, a sick place with incredible decorations that really suited the western vibe we were going for.”
“Gorge” lands as part of Scouch, their much-anticipated debut album. Across the record, CYCAD explore a rich mix of indie rock, soul and groove-driven songwriting, pulling together ideas that have been evolving over years of playing and writing together. Recent singles like “Tasteless” hinted at the scope of the record, while tracks such as “Undone”, “Forever, Again”, “Creature Of Comfort” and “Space Cowboy” further showcase the band’s knack for emotive songwriting and infectious melody.
“The process of making this album was the first time we had worked in a proper studio with a proper producer,” CYCAD say. “Some of the songs we had written years ago and been gigging for a while, and some were written during the recording process, but all of them got the treatment we felt they deserved.”
“We had the opportunity to add instruments and production effects we hadn’t used before, like a lap steel guitar and a Fender Rhodes keyboard, as well as the addition of some fun synths to give the songs some extra spice.”
Scouch drops Thursday, and you can catch the band live at The Retreat Hotel in Brunswick on Friday the 22nd of May (tickets HERE), with Fiasco and Dirty Gwen. Get along if you can and support live music!
Check out the exclusive premiere of “Gorge” below.
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