Los Angeles, CA – Psych-rock collective The Gama Sennin has released their transcendent self-titled album illuminating a hypnotic journey of self-discovery. The compilation of tracks fuses alternative energy and spaced-out, desert grooves. The group’s sound screams of magic, mystery, and magnificently realized ambition. The Gama Sennin is now available to stream and download on digital music platforms worldwide.
Recorded at Rancho de La Luna in Joshua Tree and Panoramic Studio in Stinson Beach, the self-titled debut was co-produced by award winning audio engineer Peter Franco (Daft Punk, Tycho) and mixed by Grammy award winning engineer, Dan Lerner (Daft Punk). The collective, led by lead singer/guitarist Kevin McGuire, is full of top-notch talent, including John Avila (Oingo Boingo/Mariachi el Bronx) on bass, Dimitri Coats (OFF!/Burning Brides) on guitar, Adam Maples (Earthlings?/Sea Hags) on drums, Chris Caswell (Daft Punk/The Muppets) on keyboard, Art Pacheco (Jamaica) as a percussionist and very special guest Dave Catching (Rancho de la Luna/Earthlings?/Queens of the Stone Age). The resulting record is an elaborate 10-song suite of exceptional psychedelic adventurism. They are presented in three movements inspired in part by Brian DePalma’s 1974 classic Phantom of the Paradise and Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil.
The turbulent tunes on The Gama Sennin are fueled by heavy melodies and massive riffs. Themes of self-reflection, accountability, and finding immortality resonate in the lyrics. “We all have to look into the darkness at some point in our life,” said Kevin McGuire, the group’s frontman. “That is what this record did for me.” Capturing youthful anger, the grungy tracks are reminiscent of 90s rock sounds with dark chords and eerie vocals. “In the greater context of the record, it became a song [I Kill You] about destroying your ego, killing that old version of yourself that no longer serves your life.”
The album opens with the anxiety-fueled debut single, “I Kill You,” introducing the ongoing theme of destroying one’s ego. The single is accompanied by other dark and mind-bending sister songs, including “Without” and “Trigger Finger.” “Without” leads with melancholy strokes of electric guitar and solemn yet introspective lyrics. Speaking of past mistakes McGuire has made, the song is a doorway into acceptance. “It was the first reflection into admitting the problems I had created in my life and why things always seemed to fall apart. My life could be anything I wanted if I could stop the noise, walk away, and journey inward.” The tempered, psychedelic beats capture the moodiness of the lyrics and emphasize the blankness he feels inside. Juxtaposing the moodiness of “Without,” the canorous rhythm introducing “Trigger Finger” is sure to prompt the urge to tap along fiercely. The song is about realizing you are in control of your own destiny and how to respond to life’s triggers. Verbalising the need to “shut off and let go,” the lines describe being emotionally torn into pieces and how aggression blinds us and leaves no room for conversation. Closing with a triumphant guitar riff, “Trigger Finger” moves swiftly into the next song, “La Ventana & The Photographer.” The Gama Sennin will take listeners on a journey of transitions allowing them to look into their own void and then allow space for reconstruction.
The California-based collective seamlessly combines alt-rock, psychedelia, and desert grooves with electrifying emotional depth. Their unmistakable West Coast sound incorporates pulse-pounding and earth-shattering musicality. To join the journey into madness, download and stream the record on digital music platforms worldwide or purchase The Gama Sennin vinyl, along with other merchandise bundles by visiting the band at TheGamaSennin.com. Follow them on socials @thegamasennin.