Gnarly Karma’s new single “Follow Me” is infectiously groovy, featuring saxophone behind the band’s driving melodies – seriously. Saxophone in an alt rock band? It’s amazing.
This is the group’s fifth single release since 2017, and they’ve established themselves as an alt rock group with a tight sound. They’ve shared the stage with major acts such as the Dirty Heads, Sublime with Rome and Slightly Stoopid.
It’s no wonder the group is often compared to Sublime – you can hear hints of inspiration throughout the track, whether it’s the rapid-fire vocal melody in the verses or clean-toned electric guitar used to texture the track. The simple chorus line, “Follow me, follow me, follow me home” is something straight out of a Mumford and Sons song, and was effective in staying in my head for a good while. Lead singer Mikey Renert has a unique voice that could also suited for the pop-punk genre, and even reminded of Eddie Vedder’s singing style.
The track’s mix features vocals and percussion up front, but I found that it could have incorporated the bass a little more. That being said, this is a very nitpicky thing. The way Gnarly Karma used bass in the song as a platform is reminiscent of classic rock, and it works for “Follow Me.” I found this to be a pattern with the rest of their catalogue, but once again, this is a personal preference.
Let’s get back to that saxophone. Billy Hanley divebombs with that thing into a subtle introduction to the crunchy guitar as the song’s breakdown. And even then, that’s not his shining moment – the chorus would be nothing without it. Simply put, Hanley saxophone is a defining feature of Gnarly Karma to me, and I don’t see it getting old anytime soon.
Gnarly Karma is now on my radar, and they should be on yours too. Hopefully they plan to hop back into the studio soon for more releases. Until then, I’ll be playing their tracks on repeat!