Gel announced their upcoming EP Persona by debuting their punishing single "Mirage." The five track record will drop on Aug. 16 via the band's new label Blue Grape Music.
The buzzy, mid-paced hardcore track sounds a little more restrained than some of the New Jersey band's past material, but still packs a groovy punch.
It will appear on the band's upcoming EP 'Persona,' which is due out on Aug. 16.
"We really wanted to fill out the songs more and make them more nuanced," vocalist Sami Kaiser said. "It’s a step forward, it’s different, it’s catchy, but it still really sounds like us."
The EP will be a soft departure from the band's sound on the critically-acclaimed 2023 full-length debut Only Constant.
"I feel like Only Constant was the cap on us doing that style of hardcore and I didn’t want to do more of the same," guitarist Anthony Webster said
"But I also feel like at this point we just have more of a sense of what a GEL song is and we wanted to apply that to a different kind of songwriting."
The EP was tracked with producer Jon Markson.
"It was our first time working with someone outside of our immediate camp and it was really fun," Webster said. "He has an ear for things that we wouldn’t have immediately had an ear for."
The guitarist added that the recording process was efficient but anxiety-inducing.
"We had to book studio time and make some self-imposed deadlines," Webster said. "It was stressful but it helped – we just tour so much that it’s the only way to force us into the writing zone."
Blue Grape was formed by Roadrunner Records alumni David Rath and Cees Wessels in 2022. The company's roster also includes Code Orange, Gasket and Spiritual Camp.
Gel is having a busy 2024. The band will play Sick New World in Las Vegas, Welcome to Rockville in Florida and the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona.
They'll also play smaller shows across North America and Europe with the likes of Fiddlehead, Militarie Gun and Have Heart.
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Check out the full tracklist for Persona below:
Mirage
Shame
Persona
Martyr
Vanity
Here's a list of Gel's upcoming concerts:
4/27 – Las Vegas, NV – Sick New World
5/9 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw +
5/10 – Richmond, VA – The Warehouse ~
5/12 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville
5/13 – Savannah, GA – Lodge of Sorrows @
5/14 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy @
5/16 – Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle Brewery @
5/17 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple
5/18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Bottlerocket Social Hall #
5/19 – Jersey City, NJ – White Eagle Hall $
5/31 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound
6/2 – Southampton, UK – The Joiners
6/3 – Oxford, UK – The Bullingdon
6/4 – Exeter, UK – Cavern
6/5 – Guildford, UK – Boileroom
6/8 – Porto, PT – Primavera Sound Porto
6/10 – Lyon, FR – Warmaudio
6/12 – Manchester, UK – The Star & Garter
6/13 – Glasgow, UK – Nice n Sleazy
6/14 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
6/15 – Donnington, UK – Download Festival
6/17 – London, UK – The Garage
6/18 – Brighton, UK – Green Door Store
6/19 – Bristol, UK – Exchange
6/21 – Dessel, BE – Graspop Metal Meeting
6/22 – Gräfenhainichen, DE – Full Force
6/24 – Bologna, IT – Pontelungo
6/25 – Düdingen, CH – Bad Bonn
6/27 – Ysselstey, NL – Jera on Air
6/28 – Munster, DE – Vainstream Rockfest
6/30 – Clisson, FR – Hellfest
7/2 – Wiesbaden, DE – Kesselhaus
7/3 – Hamburg, DE – headCRASH
7/4 – Roskilde, DK – Rosklide Festival
7/6 – Belfort, FR – Eurockeennes
7/7 – Ypres, BE – Ieperfest
7/20 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner %
7/26 – Norwalk, CT – District Music Hall ^
7/27 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer ^
7/29 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall ^
7/31 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East ^
8/1 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West ^
8/2 – Louisville, KY – Porto ^
9/27 – Louisville, KY – Louder than Life
10/10 – Sacramento, CA- Aftershock
+ supporting Orchid
~ with Spy
@ with Militarie Gun
# with Korine
$ with Korine, OLTH, No Model
% supporting Have Heart
^ supporting Fiddlehead
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