Gulfer, Third Wind: REVIEW

Gulfer, Third Wind (Topshelf)

That moment when “selling out” musically pays off in spades. Local emo/math rock four-piece Gulfer have toned down their more complex instrumentation and frenzied song structures in exchange for tighter, more melodic songwriting. By and large, the results are stellar.

Early Weezer and Jimmy Eat World sound like musical guideposts on songs like “Cherry Seed,” “Drainer” and lead single and album opener “Clean,” the latter a gleefully dark tune about a dude going on the run after killing his boss. “Heartshape” combines these more straightforward melodies with their trademark guitar noodling still at its core, while “No Brainer” takes some influence from post-punk before launching into a full-on rocker somewhere between Yo La Tengo and Built to Spill. Though the hooks can sometimes feel overly repetitive, Gulfer nonetheless deliver a knockout of an LP that tests their pop songwriting chops while not sacrificing too much of what made them stand out in this sometimes crowded Montreal scene to start with. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Clean”

For more on Gulfer, please visit their Bandcamp.

This article was originally published in the March 2024 issue of Cult MTL. 

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