GUM - Blue Gum Way [Blue]

GUM, the solo outlet of Perth multi-instrumentalist Jay Watson, heads somewhere sun-bleached and strange on Blue Gum Way, a 2026 album pressed on blue vinyl.

Best known for his work with Pond and Tame Impala, Watson has spent more than a decade releasing GUM records on the side, each one a playground for his love of psychedelic pop, glam-tinged rock and vintage synths. Blue Gum Way arrives on p(doom), the label run by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, linking him with another corner of Australia's adventurous psych scene.

From opener "Man Alive" through "Phosphene Scream" and "Expanding Blue" to the closing "New Equator", the album drifts between hazy grooves and sudden bursts of colour, with Watson's airy vocals floating over layers of synth, fuzz and chiming guitar. It is the sound of a musician following his curiosity wherever it leads.

It is a home-grown kind of psychedelia, playful and melodic rather than heavy, with arrangements that reveal new details on every listen. The mood is relaxed but restless, like a lazy afternoon that keeps taking unexpected turns.

For fans of the Perth psych sound, this is a welcome new chapter from one of its most inventive players. The blue pressing is a neat match for the title, too.