‘Your World’ finds the band embracing their garage rock and pop influences alongside their usual desert grunge. As though The Stooges tied The Kinks to their jeep while Brody Dalle’s Spinnerette drove through the desert with The Hives soundtracking the whole sordid scene. The song writing here is sharp and conceise with a focus on dynamics and melody. Chelsea’s vocals have never sounded more confident alongside some blistering guitar hooks from Robbie.
When it came time to record the band returned to Jonny Woods (1980 Something Studios/Wynona Bleach). Having already established a musical vocabulary on previous single ‘Like That’ this allowed the band to further refine their sound and make the bold step into more pop focused territory. Pre-production sessions with Jonny allowed the band to hone the song into what we hear today. The result is a thunderous stomp; Rab’s gnarly fuzzed out bass provides a melodic heart beat while Darren’s insistent drums push the song forward, twin guitars from Robbie and Chelsea know exactly when to pull back and when to lean into speaker shredding distortion, giving Chelsea’s vocals space in the verse before pummelling us in the chorus.
Chelsea’s vocals drip with effortless cool attitude, layers of harmonies and larynx splitting background vocals help add depth to the song. Slacker cool verses explode into a flannel soaked sneer in the chorus as Chelsea intones “Let me be your lap dog, let me be your girl, let me be your pain, I wanna be your whole world’. Lyrics that deal with unrequited obsession and how this fixation can drive you to crazy, unhinged places, this is reflected in the hysterical laughing that bookend the choruses.
When it came time to create the visual language for the single, the band turned to longtime collaborator Ebony Alexander. Shot while taking promo photos around Belfast’s iconic Palm House in Botanic Gardens, Ebony captured Chelsea in a candid quiet moment. The band had brought umbrellas expecting rain, uncharacteristically sunny weather meant they weren’t needed but we see Chelsea spinning hers amongst the lush gardens, lost in a thought.
‘Your World’ shows another, more accessible side of Gush, albeit one that has always been there, as razor sharp melodies are a constant throughout their back catalogue. Dialling down the fuzz here helps highlight the vocals but doesn’t diminish the power of the band. Further expanding their sonic palette allows the band to take strides in different directions however, they promise they’ll be back to their usual moody, angsty selves soon.