New Music Revue: Bananagun proves rock lives on new single

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Bananagun
Out of Reach
(Full Time Hobby)
4/5

Aussie psych rockers Bananagun are back with their second single, the Out of Reach 7”. As the follow-up to their energetic and catchy first single, Do Yeah, Out of Reach is dropping with expectations.

With its lo-fi production, Out of Reach comes to us straight from the nostalgia mines in Melbourne, Australia. The band lays down funky guitar grooves, muted bass lines, contagious conga beats, and understated vocal harmonies that let the sax carry the tune. Lyrically, the title track is much more developed than their previous work, and the lyrics are a well-told tale of love gone wrong.

This record is really good—it’s fun, infectious, and danceable, but shows the intelligence necessary for Bananagun to shed the “novelty” designation. Combining elements of Small Faces, Sly and the Family Stone, early Pointer Sisters, and the Temptations, Bananagun produces a Brit rock R&B psychedelic bossa nova funk sound that proves that rock and roll isn’t dead after all. You just have to look for it.