It’s only been a few months since Grand Vapids emerged from their long silence to share the three-song Rake EP, the band’s first collection of new music since their 2015 debut Guarantees. Written after a period of considerable strife and conflict, the EP helped usher the group back into the scene, while still leaving open the question of where they might head to next. Any fears of the band resting on their laurels and slipping back into the shadows, however, were put to bed last Friday when the Athens foursome announced details of their impending sophomore LP.
Entitled Eat the Shadow, the album will feature nine new tracks. It was produced by veteran producer/engineer David Barbe (The Glands, Drive-By Truckers, Sugar), and tracked live at Chase Park Transduction. According to the press release, the record “…presents a band that has resurfaced after dark years of coping with personal tragedy, identity crisis, and dysfunctional relationships,” a description that would seem to promise more of the moody indie rock and post-punk Grand Vapids presented on Rake.
And, indeed, lead single “Disjecta” scurries down that path with coiled guitars and nervy hooks galore. Although it never strays far from the swirling groove that opens the track, the mix of angular tension and scrappy intensity thrusts the song forward with an ecstatic sense of clarity. Overall it’s a gripping effort, one made more potent by the triumphant giddiness of the accompanying video, which was shot and directed by bassist Patrick Morales.
Watch/listen below.
Eat the Shadow is scheduled for release on July 12, 2019. Pre-orders are available here.
More Info
Web: grandvapids.com
Bandcamp: grandvapids.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @grandvapids
Instagram: @grandvapids
SoundCloud: @grand-vapids
Twitter: @grandvapids