Reflections on Gunch: What Does It All Mean?

When we think of Gunchcore, what should we be thinking?

A question perhaps eternally on every music connoisseur's mind, whether veteran or fairly new to the scene, a budding listener, or anyone who’s been passionate about music for the past 10, 20, even 50 years: what precisely defines the iconic, ever-evolving genre of Gunch? The eclectic and elusive subset of alternative music has many offshoots you’ve likely heard of: Gunchwave, Gunchcore, Post-Gunch, Synth Gunch, Alt Industrial Gunchery, House Gunch, even a theorized Proto-Gunch, the topic of discussion in many an online ‘Guncher’ forum. But many are led to wonder: what will ever, if anything, quiet and placate the passionate— & constant— bickering of avid fans as to what constitutes so called ‘true Gunch’? 

Gunch is hard to label. It is in many ways its own phenomena. This, perhaps, is what has made it so infatuating, so gravitational, so long-standing. From the edgy, avant-garde hit I See Dead People by The Gunch (with a generous feature from Necroman, lesser known up-and-coming Guncher) to the perhaps rough-around-the-edges but nevertheless beloved and jam-worthy track ToxicVib3 by Greedy Gunch (who’s younger brother went on to take on the artist name of GunchoBaby and debuted with his single No Hook, sparking controversy about family ties within the music industry), to the widely regarded crown jewel of Gunch Swing, Funn, by the esoteric Gunchback Boogie Band, to the more underground offshoots of Gunch featuring tracks such as Tony Hawk!!!! by Dwayne and the Rock Hard Johnsons, Tony Hawk by Mattelight, and Tony Hawk by 41st Yavo, it is clear Gunch has one thing in common: The genre invites us to deconstruct how music impacts our identities. Gunch asks us: How do we communicate with ourselves, the world, and the creative spirit? What method do we spread ideas, and how does the changing landscape of technology impact this? Who will we become when the facades we have built not only within our music scenes, but our relationships, drop away? 

If one thing is certain, Gunch will continue to evolve. From its humble beginnings drawing initial inspirations from the now late Harry Belafonte, to its first hits modeled upon the original wave of punk rock, to the Gunch beats pounding in clubs all across the world, never change, those who find a way in this chaotic, mysterious world, to goop on their true Gunch.