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Photo: Ashley Clue

The first time I saw The Garden I was an impatient teenager eagerly waiting for Crystal Castles to take the stage at Orange County’s The Observatory. Much to my surprise and dismay, twins Wyatt and Fletcher Shears burst onto the stage to frenetically deliver a dizzying barrage of singles that ranged from the incomprehensible to wholly disorienting. Yet, despite my teenage misgivings about what I just witnessed, The Garden and their oddly enchanting genre-defying sound is something I have never been able to quite shake.

If there is a claim to be made for punk’s continued existence, it would be found in The Garden’s discography. Over the course of six, high-octane albums, the Orange County twins evade the very idea of genre, favoring infectious chaos and tongue-in-cheek mayhem. The effect is a sonic jigsaw unlike any other and one they continue to mash pieces into in their latest single, “Orange County Punk Rock Legend.”

“Orange County Punk Rock Legend” signals the first look at The Garden’s forthcoming album Horseshit on Route 66, set to release September 8. Speaking on the album, Wyatt shares that “a good chunk of the songs were inspired by the ‘scary stories’ we read as kids and our interest in the supernatural.” As for the new single, it “was written in the back of an old restaurant called Yang Ming” explains Wyatt, “I decided to write it after being slapped by the old cook.” 

Juxtaposing idyllic sunny guitars and bit-crushed drums, “Orange County Punk Rock Legend” plays out like The Beach Boys on an acid trip. And as the Shears’ twins snarled delivery enters the fray, the energy of a house show mosh pit manifests fully formed. In addition to the new single, the William Sipos and Wyatt Shears co-directed music video sees The Garden donned in full jester attire in the middle of a skate park, fully completing the singular affair. 

Watch the “Orange County Punk Rock Legend” video below: