The Gotobeds

Hailing from Pittsburgh, the Gotobeds function as a raucous quartet whose output fuses high-attitude indie-style noise that stays intellectually sharp without pretension and forceful without narrow thinking. Their angular compositions and buzzy guitar attack adapted the sound and vision of vintage post-punk and indie rock by restoring the nervy snarl of punk. After issuing a self-released cassette in 2012 as their recording debut, the band delivered a lean and straightforward approach on their initial full-length, 2014’s Poor People Are Revolting, then achieved both tighter execution and greater chaos on 2016’s Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic; an even more ambitious anything-goes production aesthetic shaped their third album, 2019’s Debt Begins at 30.

The Gotobeds originated informally in 2009 when guitarist Eli Kasan and drummer Cary Belback began jamming at a local rehearsal space. Kasan remained involved with the hardcore outfit Kim Phuc, yet the pair wanted to build a fresh project from scratch. After auditioning several musicians they persuaded Kasan’s friend Gavin Jensen to relocate from Chicago and handle bass duties, while fellow Kim Phuc member Tom Payne eventually completed the lineup on guitar. They spent several years refining their sound and method to keep the enterprise enjoyable and creatively sincere, resulting in a high-energy blend of post-punk and indie that recalled the Fall, Mission of Burma, early Pavement, and Wire—the last band’s drummer Robert Gotobed supplied the group’s name. Their stage presentation echoed the slightly ramshackle rawness of the early Replacements yet carried a sharper melodic edge, and the quartet soon cultivated a regional audience through short-form releases and a reputation for fierce, exciting performances.

After appearing on New Jersey’s WFMU-FM the Gotobeds drew the attention of Matador honcho Gerard Cosloy, who placed them on his 12XU imprint. True to their live aesthetic they captured their debut album, 2014’s Poor People Are Revolting, in a single day. In April 2015 the band moved to Sub Pop; their first release for the label, Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic, arrived in June 2016 and featured guest contributions from Tim Midyett of Silkworm and Bottomless Pit plus Joe Casey of Protomartyr. In 2017 the Gotobeds issued the limited-edition six-song 7" Definitely Not a Redd Kross EP, covering every track from Redd Kross’ 1980 debut EP. Tim Midyett and Joe Casey returned for the sessions that yielded 2019’s Debt Begins at 30, the group’s second Sub Pop album, which also included Bob Weston of Shellac, Victoria Ruiz of Downtown Boys, Bob Nastanovich of Silver Jews and Pavement, and Tracy Wilson of Dahlia Seed and Positive No.