Gaz Coombes – “Deep Pockets” (Singles Going Steady)

Tristan Kneschke: When we’ve got money burning holes in our pockets, we’ll spend money on cabs without a second thought. Being carted around makes us feel royal and allows us to indulge in laziness since cheaper modes of transportation are often available. Coombes, a perpetual passenger, sings to himself on a particularly long ride while people pass through. He may be an apparition or else a symbol of music that’s never far away, even on the longest journeys. The song itself plods along at a steady clip, a suitable driving song for when you’re the one behind the wheel. [7/10]

Evan Sawdey: For real though: how angry do you think Jarvis Cocker got when he heard this and realized he didn’t write it? [6/10]

Steve Horowitz: “Let’s spend our time in cars,” Gaz Coombes sings over a pulsating beat. Many of us have had our best listening experiences while driving down the road. He does a good job of being detached and invested into the moment when the engine’s horses run fast. Rock and roll and automobiles have been a winning combination since Chuck Berry days. The scenery may have changed, but watching the world through a windshield continues to charm. Coombes understands that being connected sometimes just means being in the same place and the same time. [8/10]

Adriane Pontecorvo: The beats are fast, and the atmosphere is neon, but as aggressive night driving songs go, “Deep Pockets” doesn’t have much in the way of direction. It’s good, but it’s generic, a filler track between two more memorable mixtape picks. Still, not a bad choice for bringing on the darkness. [6/10]

John Garratt: I’ve heard enough one-note melodies in my life to know that song one won’t be any more compelling to me than a trip to Walgreens. But there was one funny outcome of this: I went and looked him up on Wikipedia and found this sentence: “Coombes was noticeable for his large sideburns during the 1990.” C’mon girl! Aren’t you going to tear yourself away from your phone for that?! [4/10]

Ljubinko Zivkovic: Supergrass main man goes all ’80s on this one. From the modernized Cheap Trick style melodic side of power pop to the images that harken back to the heyday of MTV, when it was actually playing only music videos. Nothing out of the extraordinary, but not below the standard Coombes has set either solo or with his band. [7/10]

Robert Evers: Good beat, but otherwise kind of forgettable. I am forced to wonder if this is music that would not exist without Beck? [7/10]

SCORE: 6.43