Gym Wisdom

After four highly acclaimed singles, the Gdańsk–Warsaw post-punk quartet Gym Wisdom release their debut album simply titled “Gym Wisdom” — a record that sounds like a panic attack at the gym: tense and jittery, yet surprisingly subtle beneath its layers of noise. Across nine tracks, the band tackles themes of hyper-masculinity, burnout, the cult of productivity, and romantic disillusionment, portraying contemporary life in a state of permanent tension.

Musically, Gym Wisdom situates itself somewhere between the unsettling oddity of Slint, the rawness of The Jesus Lizard, and the experimental leanings of contemporary British bands — all filtered through a distinctly Polish sensibility. Spoken-word vocals, dissonant guitars, and a rhythm section with an undeniable groove form the core of the band’s identity: music that is at once intellectual and emotional, balancing between heaviness and abstract calm.

Although Gym Wisdom has only been active for a year, they have already gained recognition within Poland’s guitar underground scene. The band members come from a variety of other projects — including Nene Heroine, Kury, SOYUZ, Klawo, and HÉR — and their diverse backgrounds give the album a cohesive yet contrast-rich character: chaotic, but self-aware.

Most of the material on “Gym Wisdom” was recorded at Tesla Studio (Gdańsk) under the supervision of Michał Jan Ciesielski (Quantum Trio, Ńoko), with mixing and mastering handled by Albert Karch. On the track “She Told Me I’m Special,” Piotr Chęcki (Nene Heroine, HÉR) makes a guest appearance on baritone saxophone.

The album opens the R series in the catalog of Sonar Records — a young independent label from Gdańsk, previously known for releases by Piotr Chęcki and Cinnamon Gum, among others.

Gym Wisdom are:

• Tomek Sadecki (HÉR, Nene Heroine, Cinnamon Gum) – bass

• Igor Wiśniewski (SOYUZ) – guitar

• Artur Szalsza (Klawo, Moonfeeder) – vocals, guitar

• Alan Kapołka (Kury, Artificialice) – drums