♫♪  D. Gookin - “Retaliation”

By this point in my time as a music journalist/blog boy, it’s about time to get a template going. Think about it, a Mad Libs style write-up that makes it easy to gush about anything? Yes, please. That way I can crank out content, get the social media kudos, and save myself a lot of time for writing Frasier fan fiction. As much as I’d like to get that going, I have a little deadline to make, and unfortunately I haven’t put the template together, aside from the closing line, “You heard it here first, [insert band name here] will be lighting up the charts in a few months.”

Now that I’m getting back to business, we’ve got a brand new digital single from D. Gookin, whom we’ve covered a couple of times over the years. If you’re still not familiar, D. Gookin is the solo alias of Mike Birnbaum, drummer for Juiceboxxx’s live band and co-founder/drum hitter with NYC shredders 2 Ton Bug. Under the D. Gookin moniker, Mike has been producing off-beat electro/alt/emo/rainbow rock since 2008. Nine years later, Gookin is still rolling, folks. He’s got a brand new single, “Retaliation,” that’s kind of an emo anthem, but with a little pop punk vibes thrown in for good measure. Even though I’m pushing 30, this brings me back to a time when I was 17 and all, “You can’t tell me what to do, dad!” (note: actually, I was never like that. I ran cross country and got home before curfew every weekend, if I went out at all). But I think you get the idea? Maybe not? Anyway, I’m an idiot. Stream “Retaliation” below, and stay tuned for more Gookin related news in the coming week.

Chocolate Grinder

CHOCOLATE GRINDER is our audio/visual section, with an emphasis on the lesser heard and lesser known. We aim to dig deep, but we’ll post any song or video we find interesting, big or small.

Most Read



Etc.