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Music

Just try not to smile when listening to the relentless ska of Night Gaunts’ Conversations with Creation

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When nighttime comes around, the urge to party lurks in the shadows. You need a sound to fill the silence and get the party started. Auckland’s Night Gaunts is a 5-piece band of lads with Paul Jonassen on lead vocals and guitar, Hayden on bass and backing vocals, Simon Jonassen on drums and backing vocals, Jacob O’Brien on sax and backing vocals and John Faulding on guitar, keys and backing vocals, with a sound for any occasion.

NightGaunts

New Zealand punk rap outfit Night Gaunts are dragging their new LP Conversations with Creation kicking and screaming through party town, and it’s glorious.

The band’s intricate take on ska punk and rap is just what any lacking party needs to really get the energy flowing. It’s fun, it’s a little cheeky and it’s god damn catchy. Their latest album Conversations with Creation was released in December 2015, although this isn’t their first time in the limelight.

The band have gained a huge following as well as having completed two US tours so you can safely say this self produced band is well on track to achieving success. They like their music to ooze fun and good times and to snugly fit their personalities. From the first note of the opening song on the album Tripping in the Basement you will be hooked.

Its tension builds for about three seconds before a devilish laugh introduces us to an array of musical madness. A trumpet carrying the beat combined with piercing keyboard creates a circus vibe, very appropriate considering there is a lot more than music going on. Laughter, screaming and chatter flood the background, producing a melodic mess, pulling your focus to every shift in sound.

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Combine all these wacky elements together, add vocals and you have a hyperactive song jam-packed with a whole lot of fun. Don’t be fooled, although the band operate under the rap genre this isn’t a generic rap album. The music is joyous punk and ska with speedy and distorted vocals along the lines of the Reel Big Fish and Fishbone.

The tone shifts add an interesting component to the album, fluctuating from slow to fast and low to high, creating an alluring inconsistency within the music. The songs also feature an extra high pitched vocal intertwined with the voices of the band, a dramatic change in sound which is refreshing and intriguing for listeners.

The choruses bear the chaos of a crowded soundscape, but it works nicely. The flow of the vocals, both separate and combined, is harmonious with the jolting transitions of the music. The boys radiate a serious party vibe and that’s what makes them so appealing.

They play their music loosely, with carefree abandon and they genuinely enjoy what they do together, a characteristic that shines through in the album. It’s unforgettable and addicting with a “jump the fuck around” sound that we all can get on board with.