REVIEW: Gayngs - Relayted

Gayngs - Relayted
MMM1/2

Gayngs began when Ryan Olson (Building Better Bombs, Digitata) decided to make an album with Solid Gold members Zack Coulter and Adam Hurlburt built on drugged-up keyboards and inspiration taken from 10cc's synth-fueled ballad "I'm Not In Love." It eventually snowballed into a collaborative project between 25+ musicians, including Justin Vernon and Mike Noyce of Bon Iver, P.O.S. of Rhymesayers, and Joe Westerlund, Brad Cook, and Phil Cook of Megafaun. What was once a bedroom project evolved into something of epic proportions, covering musical territory the members had yet to tackle in their respective projects.

Some reviews have had critics debating where exactly Gayngs' debut, Relayted, stands between sincerity and tongue-in-cheek ‘80s pastiche (they did cite "I'm Not In Love" as a big influence). Upon first listen to a song like album opener “The Gaudy Side of Town,” one might be more inclined to go with the latter, but then you’d be shortchanging Gayngs. With reverb-coated saxophone crying out in the night and every song written/recorded at 69 BPM, it’s easy to understand why one might write Gayngs off for being somewhat overindulgent. Relayted is an album filled with ‘80s R&B, soft rock jams that plays like one long-lost but killer bedroom mixtape. The group’s slowed-down cover of Godley & Crème’s 1985 hit “Cry” more or less summarizes the theme and direction of the album’s musical intentions: experimenting and breaking the mold of familiar sounds.

But it sounds as though beneath all of that passionate execution the band is having fun experimenting with new directions; the band is a bit daring, if not for making a breathy seven minute ‘80s R&B song then for tackling genres that have, for the most part, been left behind in decades past. When was the last time a bunch of dudes got together to make fine cuts of sexually-charged, ‘80s R&B complete with saxophone, funky guitar and bass, and synthesized brass? “No Sweat” sounds like a 21st century slab of neo-soul, with organ, hot jazz saxophone, and emotional cries of “It’s over.” “The Last Prom on Earth” sounds like futuristic doo wop, complimented with chimes and gentle falsetto. “Spanish Platinum” comes across like an R&B/country space odyssey, with soprano sax, ethereal synth ebbing and flowing, and pedal steel swimming in deep reverb.

The only thing that weighs down Relayted is a slight lack of one defining direction, causing it to lose a bit of ground in its middle portion. With over two dozen members contributing, the album, at times, wanders – as if the members all tried venturing in their own respective directions. But at the same time, this also benefits the album’s whole as it produces an adventurous mix of textures and styles, progressing from reggae to prog. With so many members, it’s important to note how successfully this album ended up sounding like the product of a band rather than a bunch of different people all aiming to see their own separate visions come to fruition. In the meandering, there is a sound particular to Gayngs that carries the characteristics of all the group’s members.

With songs running from 5 to 7 minutes in length and plenty of synthesizer and guitar runs, Relayted erases the hints of ‘80s cheeseball pastiche and, at times, takes aim for more prog and technical territory. Beneath the somewhat kitschy veneer, Relayted possesses the adventurous nature, ambition, and artistic vision that Godley and Creme had with a pop vehicle in 10cc and their solo work. Gayngs proves here that they know how to work a groove, crafting an album that is both ambitious, deep, and downright sexy, while still maintaining a careful and appropriate amount of light-heartedness. Gayngs isn’t so much about a group of indie musicians looking for musical immortality as much as it is about a group of musicians and friends exploring new musical territory with boatloads of passion and excitement along the way.

BUY: Relayted is out now on Jagjaguwar. Pick it up here digitally, here on CD, or here on vinyl.

Gayngs is headed out on tour. Check out the dates, see a live video, and check out some of their music here.