Back in February, I Heart Noise Records released a fun couple of tracks by Wet Tuna and DUNZA that have been on heavy rotation for me. The small split has been called the “Vermont-Wisconsin split we didn’t know we needed.” I agree.
Wet Tuna is a Vermont-based project “formed for all beings.” Legendary DJ/Head Jeff Conklin says of the group that they revel in earth and space magic. Wet Tuna adds that exploration is paramount and that they dig to create things. I’m with you. Creating things is rad!
Matt Valentine and Pat Gubler of Wet Tuna have been jamming together since the mid-90s. They have toured the U.S. psych-folk scene and played together in influential underground groups like Garcia Peoples. Both these dudes have also been prolific in their solo work.
Wet Tuna’s music is marked by its loose, free-flowing, and lysergic feel, and it’s no different on the track presented here on In The Running 3 called “Wand Arise.” The groove moves slowly and plays like a deliciously freak-folky slacker rock that’s simultaneously trippy and gorgeous.
DUNZA is an even deeper underground songwriter I’d never heard of before checking out this release. It’s the work of Wisconsin-based James Toth, and apparently, he’s so deep underground that I couldn’t find much of anything in the way of an artist’s bio online. This makes writing about DUNZA harder, but nevertheless, he lets the music does the talking.
DUNZA’s “Sweet Chump Change” is similar to Wet Tuna’s track in the loose psychedelic groove but feels a bit jazzier. The track feels like trip-hop or maybe one from Massive Attack, but with a little more emphasis on the hippie vibe.
If you’re looking for deep underground psych music, you can’t go wrong with In The Running 3 and these two tracks. I Heart Noise is a super-cool label that also brought us an excellent Skyjelly record we’ve covered here before, and it’s guaranteed whatever they put out grooves hard.
These two songs by Wet Tuna and DUNZA are the perfect chill-out jams to enjoy the hotter weather. So, whether you take them to the park or the local swimming hole, enjoy the summer sun with these two gems. Enjoy!
Check out In The Running 3 by Wet Tuna / DUNZA on Bandcamp here.
You can support I Heart Noise by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube).
You can support Wet Tuna by finding them on Bandcamp, their blog, or Instagram.
Leave a Reply