Review: Gin Lady ‘Before The Dawn Of Time’
I will state from the off that when I had a quick listen to a track from Gin Lady, I thought that this wasn’t my usual cup of (Rooibos) tea, but something about it really intrigued me. The ‘70s rock influence is so heavy throughout their latest album Before The Dawn Of Time that you’d easily think it was Fleetwood Mac at the beginning of the opening track The Paramount, but it also has that sound of one of those kaleidoscope toys that I had as a kid roaming the street of South Wales.
The entire time I’m listening to their music makes me feel as if I’m in some sort of bubble and floating through the sky on a magical cloud, with the sun warming my skin as I fly high above valleys that are adorned with animated trees and beautifully blue seas where dolphins play beneath me.
Gin Lady are a quartet from the north of Sweden, and their love of early ‘70s rock is evident in the music they produce which are full of delicious harmonies and melodies. In 2024, they signed with the ever-wonderful Ripple Music and the rest is history as we get eleven tracks full of psychedelic and proggy splendour for us to enjoy at our leisure.
The subtle riffs on Mighty River from guitarists Johnny Stenberg and Magnus Kärnebro just add to that dream sequence feel of the songs. Combined with the keyboards from Anthon Johansson, the song flows and is over in no time at all. The band say that ‘their music travels time while dealing with heavy matters such as environmental destruction, communication breakdowns and humanity’s inability to find common ground’, yet their music feels so uplifting and joyous. I can’t help but smile when I listen to their gentle musings on the smooth Tingens Sanna Natur and The Long Now which is a glorious velvet like instrumental track.
Ways To Cross The Sky pretty much sums up how I feel when this is being played. This isn’t music to be blasted at full volume, it’s too delicate and nuanced. The band comment that their lyrics ‘deal with our failure to communicate’ and ‘the way we treat our environment’ and we need to show each other a bit more love and trust as we are all in this together. You can hear that vibrant keyboard from Johannsson on Turn Back with the solid drumming of Fredrik Normark a constant in the background.
Another impressive part of this album, it was recorded live at Svenska Grammofonstudion, the best vintage studio in Sweden, so it gives their sound even more authenticity. Mulberry Bend has a bit more of a ‘70s rock feel to it, with the three vocal harmonies coming to the fore. It’s followed by The Universe Vibrant Rings that will get you swaying from side to side and make you run outside to make daisy chains with your friends.
The general good-natured and positive vibes continue with The Brain and it’s pleasing to hear all the instruments in the mix. There’s a deep south rhythm underpinning Bliss On The Line almost as if they are straight out of Mississippi and it ends with You’re A Big Star. Once again it has that cowboy quality to the music, like they are riding horses into the sunset with guitars on their saddles, searching for the next big town to conquer. And with songs like this, they’d be welcomed anywhere.
Label: Ripple Music
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
