Mike Gantzer is back with his first new release since his band Aqueous went on indefinite hiatus last summer. The guitarist is debuting his new solo project, GANTZER, with the single “The Comeback Kids” featuring Zdenek Gubb (Twiddle) and Alex “Gator” Petropulos (Pigeons Playing Ping Pong), available exclusively on Bandcamp.
“The Comeback Kids” comes sliding in with funky keys supplied by Gantzer, who also provides guitars and vocals along with writing, mixing, and mastering the song. As Gantzer’s psychedelic guitar riffs cascade through the speakers, Gubb’s bass bubbles beneath the surface while Gator keeps it steady with a subdued rhythm. Though ace musicianship and dynamic interplay are certainly highlights of “The Comeback Kids”, the focal point is the song’s lyrics.
Gantzer’s lyrics look back on the passage of time, reflecting on the years that “flashed by in blinding light.” But rather than dwelling on the past, GANTZER confronts change head-on, observing, “Well, sometimes good things fall apart / And even dreams can break your heart,” adding later, “No I wouldn’t change a single day / Words fall short and fade away / But you can start again.” With this first solo release since Aqueous was effectively shelved, Gantzer affirms that nothing will ever change the good times we all had together, but now it’s time to start again. Those words of course also ring true for collaborator Zdenek Gubb, whose band went on an indefinite hiatus last fall.
“Lyrically, the song is about finding new beginnings at any point in life, and learning to let go and trust the path when things are inevitably changing as they do in life,” Gantzer told Live For Live Music.
On the production side, Mike began working on “The Comeback Kids” during the 2020 COVID lockdowns. Gantzer put together most of the instrumentation before sending the track off to Gubb and Gator with very little instruction, trusting them to do their thing. As Ganzter observed, “I think great work tends to come from letting artists express themselves in their own unique way, and they knocked it out of the park.” This marks the first of many tracks to come from GANTZER this year, some featuring collaborations with familiar faces and others being just Mike Gantzer.
Check out the debut single from GANTZER “The Comeback Kids” featuring Twiddle’s Zdenek Gubb and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s Alex “Gator” Petropulos on Bandcamp ahead of the wide release on March 27th. The ensemble decided to release the track today, March 20th, because it is also Gubb’s birthday.
GANTZER — “The Comeback Kids” (ft. Zdenek Gubb, Alex Petropulos)
The Comeback Kids (ft. Zdenek Gubb+ Alex Petropulos) by GANTZER
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