Gasp (USA) - Stardonas (2020)

Gasp was an anomaly among the California punk scene of the 1990s. They played a relentlessly strange, deeply psychedelic blend of grindcore, powerviolence and noise. Their music was tough to categorize, but rewarding to the determined listener. 1998's Drome Triler of Puzzle Zoo People, their sole LP, is a high water mark in the blending of psychedelia and extreme music. 

They split up in 2004, and their last release was the 2005 collection An Earwig's Guide to Traveling. It would be easy to imagine such a singular group would just vanish into the ether, never to be heard from again. However, after 16 years, Gasp returns with Stardonas, a 3-track EP of entirely new material. 

First track "Rose Gold" begins with echoing percussion of unnameable origin, and feels like waking up under the influence of a powerful psychedelic. Reverb-heavy keyboard playing layers underneath, and it trips along like this until just before the two minute mark. At this point, distorted guitars and blasting drums replace the psychedelia for a moment. Once the screaming vocals kick in, echoing psych elements return and the song ends with a minute of Ketamine-laced grindcore.

A similarly ambient mood opens "Husband is the Lake," with chiming guitars, tentative, atmospheric drumming and some more gurgling, psychedelic noise. It only lasts 30 seconds this time, as loping heavy guitars and pounding drums kick in underneath the ambience to harsh the vibe. The song blasts forward with a furious brand of psych-grind, always with one eye on the cosmos but never losing sight of the ground beneath its feet.

That doesn't last, however, and "Sign of Victor" awakens in orbit above the Earth, shimmering. Four-on-the-floor drums come in confidently, followed bafflingly by what sounds like the chanting of hooded cultists and a repeated vocal sample that gives the song its title. Some spacy echoes and electronics build along the way, but otherwise this is how the album's closing four-and-a-half minutes go. It's a competent left turn by a band known for them, and once the shock wears off it's easy to settle into the trancelike rhythms.

At first glance, Stardonas can seem like a bit of a paltry offering after a 16-year wait.  Just over two minutes of the EP's 9-minute runtime is dedicated to grindcore, abd the rest is various modes of noise and psych. However, Gasp's extremity never solely rested on the blastbeat, nor was extremity even always the goal. Taken on its own terms, it's successful, and recommended for new and old fans looking for adventurous music.

Stardonas is available digitally via To Live a Lie's Bandcamp and physically through To Live Lie's webstore.