WANDERING SOUNDS: Gutwrench for Wanderer
Gutwrench Records is an independent music label formed and based in Ngunnawal/Nambri Canberra, proudly representing acts from the area and beyond. The label extends much further than this description. From organising and assisting countless DIY shows, establishing music venues in a stage-deprived city, and documenting high volumes of footage for its archive, Gutwrench Records is the heavy head that wears the crown of Canberra’s live music scene.
Daan playing with his band Spouse
Gutwrench founder, scene custodian and friendly face Daan Steffens has blessed you and I with this beginner’s guide to Canberra’s uniquely independent alternative music scene. These are Daan’s picks of the bands and artists that define this scene, ranging from Canberra mainstays Kilroy and Assassins 88 to Melbourne post-gaze legends Gush, who are celebrating an incredible new release the stars seem closer than you are by completing an Australia wide tour, thanks to the helpful hand of Daan from Gutwrench.
The artists in this playlist are members, contributors and friends of the scene Daan represents.
The genres and sounds you’ll hear in the playlist vary in all the best possible ways.
The mood can really shift from one song to the next. Sweeter hyper/trip pop of stereocenter sits alongside avant garde post-punk like Gallery One or dogworld.
For darker, heavier and louder sounds, there are tracks from body shirt, At Last Broadcast and freezer. There is also softer dreamy indie rock from Gia Ransome, Flowermarket and stockholm.
Placing these sounds together, Daan ignores the lines in the sand that can occur between genres or types of music, especially within a local or regional area. Instead, he cultivates and captures the wide scope of Canberra’s musicians, the variety in their music, and the strength in their community.
Daan and I share the hope that this playlist can introduce you all to the massive amount of talent and huge catalogue of music being generated in Canberra, just waiting to be discovered.
Thanks again to Daan for his contribution and ongoing support. Check out our interview with Daan from July to learn more about all things Gutwrench and Canberra DIY.
https://www.wanderer-magazine.com/inside/gutwrench-interview