FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Grunge-Gaze Weirdos Goon Return with a New Banger, "Enter Bethel Admissions"

Listen to the new Partisan signees' grungy ode to regret alongside their double EP re-release and upcoming tour dates with Shame.
Kristy Benjamin

Regret's a beast, isn't it? If you're not careful, the shoulda-woulda-coulda will eat you alive, or at the very least, make you lose your dang mind for a bit in a void of the past's paralysis. Goon's Kenny Becker knows all about that, as detailed in the band's tops new standalone track "Enter Bethel Admissions," premiering on Noisey below.

Though the track's title is just a play on the song's E-B-A chord progression, its lyrics delve into the madness of missed opportunities and past mistakes. Couched in the LA outfit's signature scuzzy shimmer and Becker's alternately lackadaisical and pleading vocals, it's ultimately uplifting—both heartbreaking and gentle as Becker sings, "I won't beat up myself, about it…I wanna show my tremor." It's less an affirmation than a Hail Mary.

Advertisement

Here's what Becker tells Noisey about the tune, which lands alongside the Partisan re-release of LA grunge-gaze outfit's Dusk of Punk/Happy Omen double EP today. Check out their upcoming tour dates with Shame below.

I was dealing with this intense regret that used to come up a lot. It was usually centered around this girl from college that I botched things with before they even began. Actually it's the same girl that also inspired a couple tunes from our upcoming LP. It was a crazy type of regret, I kinda thought my brain was broken sometimes. It seemed like every day I could very tangibly feel my life going further and further down some wrong path because I missed a crucial opportunity with her that I was "meant" to take years earlier. I’m happy to say that I’m now very over it, but it fucked me up good for a while.

So with all that in mind, I made EBA as sort of pleading with myself to not get down on myself for any of that stuff. However, despite my desire to not cause myself harm for things that are out of my control or are in the unchagable past, I still very much end up seeking that harm in other ways, which is the desire for a metaphorical “tremor” in the choruses.

Catch Goon on tour:

Tues July 24 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
Thurs Aug 2 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (Kenny Becker Solo Set) (w/ Owen)
Tue-Oct-09 - Vancouver,BC - Wise Hall (w/ Shame)
Wed-Oct-10 - Seattle,WA - Crocodile (w/ Shame)
Fri-Oct-12 - Portland,OR - Doug Fir (w/ Shame)

Follow Andrea Domanick on Twitter.