Rock Trio Gnomes of Neptune Release Experimental and Rogue Single ‘Sick’
- Autumn Johnstone
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 23 hours ago
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By: Autumn Johnstone
What happens when three music-passionate college students with a love for Pink Floyd and mythical creatures come together? The rock trio band Gnomes of Neptune emerges from the ground with such force that we can’t help but wonder: How does one think of something like this?
Music is, after all, a story of sounds passed from one generation to the next. Pink Floyd left their eternal mark on the music scene, and there’s no reason why Gnomes of Neptune couldn’t be next.
Formed on a whim, Gnomes of Neptune is composed of Dawson Hawkins, Ruarai McKenna and Walker Pawlikhas. McKenna cut Hawkins off from doing homework one day and pitched the idea of a band to him. Less than five hours later, they had a band name and two pre-planned concept albums. Even though Hawkins wasn’t a guitarist and Pawlikhas had never touched a bass guitar, they knew that this was what they wanted to do. They just had to play consistently and everything would fall into place.
Their newest single, “Sick” was released on Oct. 11. It is, without a doubt, a criminally underrated song you do not want to miss. With about eight unique sections, it is one of their most complex songs yet. Think of the guitar riffs from Pink Floyd’s 23 minute song, “Echoes” squeezed into just six minutes of elevated fervor.
“Sick” begins with enough electric guitar reverb to throw anyone into a trance. The first verse is hauntingly beautiful and soft, until Pawlikhas’ earthshaking scream rips the song open and kicks it into overdrive. The tempo picks up, the volume increases and the tension is overwhelming in the best way possible. His inhale scream was inspired by Roger Waters’ screech in Pink Floyd’s song, “Careful with That Axe, Eugene,” Hawkins said.
The song’s chorus riff was originally for their song, “Dog (Special Low Frequency Version),” Hawkins said, but it was scrapped for not fitting that track. The other riffs in “Sick”’s outro and guitar solo were created through hallucinating certain sounds with running water and embracing mistakes while recording the song. After attempting to perfect the song’s guitar through many re-recordings, McKenna advised that they layer every guitar riff recording on top of each other. It made for a massive wall of sound that has become a signature style in Gnomes of Neptune’s music.
“Sick” lures you in slowly and then pushes you out to a hazy, grey sea near the end. It’s a perfect example of experimental music, the power of our musical influences and to what extent artists will go to create something extraordinary.
Make sure to stream “Sick” on all platforms and enter a mythical world they call “the gnomeverse.”
Follow Gnomes of Neptune: https://www.instagram.com/gnomesofneptune/