Guy Music: Big Star
Meet Guy Music: The Athens Band Growing Beyond College Cult Status
by Jack Rush
Deep in the heart of Athens County, OH a growing cult following has formed around Guy Music. With just two singles out and only 9 months together, the group has already created a lot of buzz in southern Ohio and adjacent online music circles. Guy Music’s first introduction to the world was winning Athen’s Battle of the Bands in their first ever live show and they’ve only gotten better in every one of their 22 live performances since, motoring from Cleveland to Columbus and Athens where they have become a staple at the Union.
But what makes these four young men any different than the countless other college rock bands making waves in the States?
Guy Music has a mythos to them, which is to say let the music (all originals/no covers) and performance speak for itself. They have a small online following, which they don’t pursue, but a much larger group of monthly listeners – which is the goal. Each member of the band goes by a pseudonym: Singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist Henry (20) is “Guy”, lead guitarist Finn (20) is “Music”, drummer Miles (21) and his twin brother bassist Matthias (21) are ‘Band’ and ‘Instagram,’ respectively. In other words, they’re having fun and not apologizing for being goofy artists. They're a self-proclaimed “loser rock / power pop” band whose latest single, “Big Star” is truly exciting.
“Big Star” is a power pop anthem with just enough Pixies hints to make it an ear elixir. The song is fun and upbeat, with a poppy chorus hook that reminds of cotton candy at a county fair. The lyrics express an obsessive love for indie icon Liz Phair.
Lyrically, the song expresses a toxic obsession for a lover (Imagined as Liz Phair by the band who were not even born when Ms. Phair was selling records). Instrumentally, the track mixes 70s crunchy guitars with an distinct vocal performance to deliver a tightly written power pop banger. Some instrumental highlights include sweeping piano glissando leading into the second verse, a pre-chorus that evokes bands like Jellyfish, The Lemon Twigs and The Beach Boys.
The future looks bright for the Guy Music boys (or should I say “guys”). In a short correspondence with the band over Instagram DMs, “Guy” from Guy Music tells about their future plans: “We’re are releasing our third single in September called Sara’s Secret, which is the title track to the record we are mixing now, which will be out for Christmas. Every song is a single, and is going to be a greatest hits Volume I for us.” Whatever he means by that, I’ll be tuning in, and if you are at all into music and finding new talent before everyone else, you might just do the same.
“Big Star” as well as their debut single, “Driving Barefoot” is on all streaming services.
Have a listen and connect with Guy Music:
