After many years of winning the hearts and ears of Austin music lovers both as a solo artist and as a member of the psych outfit Acid Carousel, Gus Baldwin’s name has been in the mouths of bookers and promoters for years, and more recently, he formed Gus Baldwin & the Sketch. And while it still has the tight, catchy hooks of Acid Carousel, the Sketch hangs out in the garage: it’s fuzzy, bold, and full of adrenaline.
Their debut album Sketches came out last Friday, and while you’ve been hearing their garage rock song “Luxury Television” on the KUTX airwaves, today’s Song of the Day leans a bit more on the power pop side, hitting more like a harder Hot Hot Heat tune than Ty Segall.
“She’s Gone (Arigato)” is just pure fun and adrenaline. It’s punchy, danceable, and it might take you back to the iPod commercials of the mid 00’s. Truly the only bad thing about the song is that it ends. And as highly anticipated as this album has been, the wait was worth it; the sketches were turned in because they were ready; not because it was 11:30.
“(She’s Gone) Arigato” is on Sketches, out now. You can see Gus Baldwin & The Sketch before they take the album on the road on Thursday February 20th at 29th St. Ballroom with Grocery Bag, Blank Hellscape, and Guiding Light.
- Do you want to submit a song for a Song of the Day feature? Email kutxsotd@kutx.org with the phrase “KUTX Song of the Day” included in the subject line.
- Support for Song of the Day comes from The Werd Company