Gamblers - "We're Bound To Be Together"

Long Island’s Gamblers have a scrappy garage sound that’s distinctly New York.  Their slightly gruff guitars conjure images of the rough stubble of The Strokes and their bold melodies exude the swagger and pomp of an airier-sounding Lou Reed.  It also helps that the first line of the video for their latest single, “We’re Bound To Be Together,” captures a voice asking a question that many a New York driver has considered over the course of lives, “Are we avoiding the BQE or taking the BQE?” Yes, some of us drive and we hate traffic. 

New York comparisons and references aside, the track is fast, fun, and infatuating. The feverish garage rock rhythm on “We’re Bound To Be Together” is well-suited for this type of love song - it parallels a rapidly beating, lovestruck heart. Frontman Michael McManus’s lyrics are brimming with enamored feelings of tenderness, as he sings with confidence about a love so strong that he feels it’s certain to be reciprocated: “I can see it in your eyes that you’ve never felt a love like this before” and “don’t be shy, I know we’ve both got the same things on our mind. / We’re alive in a way that I’ve never thought / And I never want to let you go.”

The charming video, which is animated entirely with crayons, captures drawings of the band playing together interposed with shots of two lovers kissing, embracing, and holding hands. The video was directed and produced by Tyler Walker and Fidel Ruiz-Healy of The American Standard Film Company.

Stream the video below and pre-order their new record, Small World, which is out this Friday.