Indie-Rock Darlings Stopgap Are Finally Back Teasing “Transportation Blues” Off A New EP

The Stopgap story is a clear-cut illustration of a band with tremendous positive repute, still highly regarded as an epochal institution in spite of having a fairly limited discography. Stopgap emerged as taste-making upstarts in the tail half of the last decade, with their seminal Totems full-length becoming a must-listen staple of Singaporean indie-rock in 2016 with hits such as “Bender” and “Crossing Swords”. That pivotal album, together with numerous gigs and international shows punctuated with zealous live performances, turned the homegrown quintet into adored scene stars. And while the Stopgap success tapered off over the years with life’s commitments, they still continue to hold measurable sway among scene devotees and earnest audiences waiting for that comeback.

Now, it seems like that time has come.

“Transportation Blues” is Stopgap’s first single in many years (Credit: Sameh Wahba)

Following weeks of a social media revival with content-for-the-sake-of-content teaser clips, Stopgap has released “Transportation Blues”, their first single in years which kicks off a hype train for an upcoming EP.

Within the first listen, Stopgap instantly assuages any doubts of them missing a beat. “Transportation Blues” is a reassuring piece of raw guitar music generously stamped with that Strokes imprint that trampolined their fame as noughties indie-rock darlings. Its riffs and chords are simple yet sharp, executed with a less-is-more impact that culminates in a charging chorus, waking the track up from pleasurable stupor to wild fervour. Complete with strident vocal yells led by an expectedly impassioned Adin Kindermann, it hints at a Stopgap still very much in their prime.

The pace throughout is linear and comforting, simulating a nostalgic slipstream you can’t help but be sucked into. This is vividly complemented with the track’s fly-on-the-wall visualiser, showing the five lads chilling by the water with MRT trains cruising in the background. Like the track’s blueprint, the imagery is a snapshot of the band’s camaraderie, now portrayed as a scene of post-youth contentment that’s unbothered, settled and calm – just like their comeback dictated by their own terms.

“Transportation Blues” isn’t a ride that reinvents the wheel, but it’s one that’ll whisk you away into a place that feels familiar. And for Stopgap fans, that’s all they could ever ask for.