Glasgow rockers Gun started on a high and just continued to climb from there, an almost forty-year career seeing them become one of the best-loved and most consistent bands out there. From the opening success of debut Taking On The World right up to this, their ninth full-length release, the band have written stadium-filling anthems that not only glory in huge hooks but are imbued with the soul that lifts everything even higher.
Gun – Hombres (Cooking Vinyl)
Release Date: 12 April 2024
Words: Paul Monkhouse
A compelling live band, Hombres sees the development of Gun continue, the great writing still at the core of what they do but branching out further than ever, adding new layers to their sound.
Produced by Simon Bloor and mixed by Daryl Thorpe, Hombres packs in thirteen tracks that are all killer, no-filler stand-outs that highlight all of Gun’s powers to take you by the scruff of the neck and drag you into their party.
It certainly starts with a punch, the sheer drive of All Fired Up sounding like a band unleashed and wanting to make up for any lost time, the whole imbued with a real statement of intent.
With frontman Dante Gizzi never sounding better and brother Jools locking into a perfect partnership with new six-stinger Ruaraidh ‘Roo’ Macfarlane, the power from the rhythm section Paul McManus and Andy Carr drives the freight train with unstoppable force.
Whilst the opener certainly rocks, and the album deserves to be played loud enough to be heard by the whole neighbourhood, this is far from purely an exercise in bluster, the band being way too smart to substitute class for volume.
From the great harmony vocals of Beverly Skeete, Mary Pierce and Sarah-Jane Skeete on the high octane Take Me Back Home through to the almost Britpop swagger of Fake Life, there is a deft use of different sounds and textures to draw the listener in.
A mid-point high comes with irresistible Falling. Its slow building starts growing into something to stick in heads for days to come as the chorus rings out, and Gizzi’s outstanding vocals bring a rough-edged heart to it all.
Elsewhere, the Stonesy roll of You Are What I Need and a stuttering Don’t Hide Your Fears Tonight keep up the pace before Lucky Guy, a hard rocking blues boogie, and the hugely anthemic A Shift In Time build things up for a final knock-out blow.
There’s also a bonus edition of the CD that offers another three tracks, all of which are of an equally vital quality, in particular, the AC/DC meets Dr Feelgood blast of Wrong To Be Right.
Gun should be justifiably proud of Hombres and they’ve arguably never sounded better. It rocks, it rolls, and it makes you feel glad to be alive.
A real celebration and a genuine contender for Album Of The Year, Gun have absolutely smashed it. Welcome to the family.
Gun – Hombres – is available to pre-order from gunband.lnk.to/HombresPR.
