- Desert Island Cloud

San Diego-based rock duo Bang Bang Jet Away, “Long for this World” resonates with timeless rock nostalgia. “Is there a secret that you can share?” the vocals open with inviting allure, amidst twangy guitars and lushly melodic backing vocal adornments. A bouncy hook emerges just prior to the one-minute mark, lyrically grappling with the theme of losing everything and starting anew.

The band has drawn comparisons to acts like The Walkmen, The Strokes, and The Pixies. Comprising Matthew Binder and Mike Kamoo (of The Stereotypes), Bang Bang Jet Away have a variety of releases planned for 2021, with another single out in April.

“It’s okay, but Dua Lipa is better,” -Lily Binder (Matt’s 8-year-old niece).

“One evening, I sat down on my couch to watch Lars Von Trier’s 5-hour film, Nymphomaniac,” says Bang Bang Jet Away’s Matthew Binder, explaining the very start of Bang Bang Jet Away’s formation. “By the time I made it to bed at 4AM, I was in a very bad way. I did not sleep well, as my mind was filled with fresh horrors about the future of the world. I slept through my 7AM alarm and missed my morning meetings. The damage already done, I decided not to go to work. Instead, I picked up a guitar and started writing tunes, something I had not done in several years. By the end of the day, I had enough for an EP.”

“Thinking a new batch of tunes required a band to play them, I called up a few pals to see if they wanted to get together. My pals, however, had all moved onto other things and had no time for my songs. This is fine, I thought, the time to make music is behind me now. I, too, had moved onto other things. That night I walked over to my favourite Japanese restaurant and ate gyoza and ramen while reading Volume 2 of Karl Ove’s My Struggle. It occurred to me then that there had never been a time when I was living just one life—the life of a student, a lover, a salesman, a writer. Wherever I was, whatever I was engaged in, I was always leading multiple lives. I put down my book and called Kamoo to ask if he’d like to make a record with me. He said that he thought it sounded like a fine idea. The project is called Bang Bang Jet Away, a small tribute to the best band in San Diego’s history, The Stereotypes.”