Back in May, the Montreal emo and indie-rock quartet Gulfer announced that they were breaking up. Their final album, Third Wind, came out this past February, but now Gulfer are following it up with one last record: the new Lights Out EP. The five-song release is more experimental and indebted to shoegaze than previous records, and was mixed and mastered by Charles-David Dubé. Listen to it below.
“This is one of our favorite releases as a band,” said singer-guitarist Vincent Ford. “Five years ago it wouldn’t have been possible for Gulfer to put out songs like these, but this is where we’re at right now. This band has always been about having a creative outlet and to be able to channel our influences through our creative process and so it makes sense to end this journey by putting out this batch of songs that we are very proud to have made together. Hope y’all enjoy this last offering : ).”
When revealing the news earlier this year, Gulfer said they wanted to end the band “to move on and give space for new things.” The band will play two more shows this weekend before officially disbanding: July 19 at Toronto’s Monarch Tavern and July 20 at Ottawa’s Rainbow Bistro.
After forming in 2011 with Ford, singer-bassist David Mitchell, and drummer Simon Maillé, Gulfer went on to release a handful of EPs and splits before releasing their debut album, What Gives, in 2015. The following year, Maillé departed, Julien Daoust took over drums, and Joseph Therriault joined on both guitar and vocals. Daoust and Therriault made their recorded debut with the band on 2018’s Dog Bless. Gulfer went on to release their self-titled LP two years later and the live album Live in Japan. Their last full-length LP was February’s Third Wind.
Read about Third Wind in Pitchfork’s list of “18 Great Records You May Have Missed: Winter 2024.”
