What’s the Montreal math rock scene look like?ĭavid: The only other bands in Montreal that sound like us are Steven’s other band Head Honcho and my other band Names. We come from an interesting position doing this fusion of math rock and emo because we grew up listening to a lot of math rock and discovered emo later, whereas a lot of other bands we like seem to have come to it the opposite way. The start-stop dynamic, odd time signatures and tapping elements are still there but the driving punk sections definitely play a larger role. Would you say you blend the sound with a punk rock influence?ĭavid: Yeah, as time has progressed, that’s more and more true. Maps and Atlases did that with indie rock, and there are a few other examples. Steven: The bands that get popular on a large scale tend to blend the sound with another genre.
I'd love for our band to be based in Chicago or Philly, if we’re talking in terms of scenes, but for living my life, just being a musician, Montreal is the best. But there are awesome scenes for the more noodley math-emo stuff that we love on the east coast and Midwest. Is there something about math rock that doesn’t work in Montreal?ĭavid: Math rock isn’t really popular anywhere, except for maybe Japan. I love to knock Montreal as far as being in a math rock/emo band goes, but ultimately I can’t complain.
But there are so many things about Montreal that lend themselves to music making. Sure, there are pockets of the states that get spoiled and have thriving scenes. Back home (in New Jersey) our kind of music is way better received.ĭavid: It’s better than being in Wyoming or somewhere super-isolated. But it’s not necessarily good for what we do. Noisey: Has Montreal been kind to Gulfer? I talked to them about the new album, labels and genres, the band’s history, and what it’s like to be a math rock band in Montreal. I got a chance to listen to their new single "Trim It Short" a cut from their upcoming debut, which personally made me feel like dancing in the rain and reliving my favorite childhood memories. There are, however, distinct features of the sound apart from what can come across as pretentious complexity, and those unspoken elements are what makes up most of Gulfer's aesthetic. Bands like Toe, Slint and Don Caballero come to mind as standouts of the genre who've gained international attention. The typical sound of math rock involves complex tapping guitars overlaid atop drum patterns in anything but a 4/4 time signature, topped with a not-quite-sung vocal. For those unfamiliar, math rock is normally seen as a more technical take on the standard rock band ensemble. There are also a lot of really good vegetarian restaurants around here, which is where Gulfer - a band with a few instruments, numerous game-plans, and enough ambition to tour Europe before even releasing their first full-length album - decided to meet up with me as we discussed their careers in math rock.
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