It’s a refreshing perspective from an intrepid, politically-inclined indie band, and this everyman ethos is intrinsically woven into the trio’s story. The band has been the same three guys since Some Gifts formed in 2013. Throughout this time, the three musicians have gathered nearly every week in a makeshift studio space at an industrial park just outside of Los Angeles. Jobs have changed, marriages have happened, and kids have been born, but the band’s passion for punk energy, angular post-punk, and airtight musicianship has only grown deeper over the years. Some Gifts is rounded out by bassist Mike Jung and drummer Steve Aguilera.
A cathartic tension infests the 11-track album. The opener, “Sympathy For The Free Market,” references Vic’s favorite Rolling Stones song, his love of Dinosaur Jr.’s big crunching hooks, and his distaste of billionaires gone wild launching themselves into space. Vic sings: It doesn’t make any sense/This need to own everything/A massive amount of wealth you’ll never get to spend. “I lose a paycheck and I’m homeless. Elon Musk burns away three billion dollars and nothing changes for him. If his shit goes bust, I wouldn’t feel badly,” he says. The track “Psychic Tension” is as unsettling as the name implies, gloriously evoking Fugazi’s trapezoidal anthemics and Pixies urgency.
Four albums and two EPs in, Some Gifts is excited to now be working with Bakersfield, California-based Killer Kern Records. The indie imprint is part of Bakersfield’s thriving DIY community, and, in the past, Some Gifts has been a mainstay at Killer Kern’s annual three-day music festival. Misguided was recorded in four days at Singing Serpent Studios in San Diego, California.
