Blues Rock 5 piece Gustaffson launched in venues across the UK in 2022 following the release of their debut EP The Jacaranda. An homage to lead singer Andrew Gower’s Liverpool roots, the title track quickly rose to anthemic ballad status becoming a staple at the bands packed out live shows.
In the short two and a half years that followed, Gustaffson (formed by Gower and lifelong friend and guitarist James Webster in 2020) relentlessly worked on their climbing success featuring extensively on BBC Radio 2 and 6 before releasing their debut album Black and White Movie in March.
Brimming with bright energy and detailed lyricism, as the title suggests the songs range from the theatrical to more delicate melodies with staccato guitar notes and brass lines in On Broadway and a calypso style rhythm in Paris in Summer swapped for Summery-sweet piano and acoustic guitar pairings in Go Easy and Some Kind of Sweden.
The albums latest single Underground features a 6 minute, Stones-esque groove swept up into a euphoric outro leaving listeners with a curious optimism. A smooth pairing with album opener Champagne Socialist with similar grungy Blues-Rock undertones, both elevated with a Gospel choir and Gower’s distinctively husky vocals ranging from soul-soaked dynamism to a silky vibrato with ease.
Gustaffson – Closer (Official Music Video)
The album was recorded at Manchester’s Blueprint Studio, the bands second project with Elbow’s Craig Potter. With a strong old-cinema visual/sonic aesthetic, the resulting thirteen tracks are a time portal to a vintage Summer dream with lush orchestration and enchanting dynamics from the rhythm section featuring bassist and band photographer David Gleave, Liam Morson on keys and Graham Bennett on drums.
Gower, (as seen on Outlander, Black Mirror) combines the worlds of cinema and music after swapping the TV screen for the stage. The master of his own orchestra, Gower utilises his on-screen experiences with his storytelling lyricism, every inch of his craft and vision explored in this striving debut. Following TV familiar, Sue Johnson’s appearance in the music video for The Jacaranda in 2022, Black and White Movie follows suit with hidden gems from Sir Ben Kingsley on Closer and Emmy winning composer Bear McCreary as co-writer on the piano ballad, Flowers.
With references to New York, Paris, London, Manchester (even Milton-Keynes gets a mention) we’re invited into Gower’s colourful world. Old-school Hollywood meets British Blues-Rock, cinema meets harmony, in a debut album sculpted together so intricately it’s tempting to pull it apart to get to the core. Who knows what the next release will reveal, I have a feeling we won’t have to wait too long to find out!
Stream/buy Gustaffson’s Black and White Movie now.
Follow Gustaffson @gustaffsonmusic on Instagram for updates.
Naomi Campbell
