"Let’s circle back to all that force from before / By now, I had assumed I’d be accomplishing more" - Photo by Emily Burtner
"Pick A Way" by Philadelphia based Grocer with it's thick bass heaviness, choppy drums, open guitar notes and trance keys feels at once art punk forward but also densely prog rock-esque. Unlike most bands, Grocer does not have one lead singer, those duties are shared by three members. This particular track as written by drummer / vocalist Cody Nelson, whose vocal aesthetic feels conversational and maybe a bit internally worn, is "an attempt to try and understand the increasingly detached lines of reason that go hand-in-hand with toxic masculinity in general and also specifically during the insurrection at the Capitol". Sociologists will likely study that day and what lead up to it for generations along with the cult of personality and how mind control easily turns simple minds.
Knowing what informs "Pick A Way" only makes the song more interesting especially when it kind of freaks out at the end. The sonic mayhem after all feels feral and out of control, like a force of nature uncontrollable and illogical.
"Pick A Way" is the lead single from Grocer's forthcoming LP, "Numbers Game" dropping on May 6th, 2022.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.facebook.com/itsgrocer
https://twitter.com/ItsGrocer
https://www.instagram.com/itsgrocer/
https://itsgrocer.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3UdgFit4pWnDgoazPUn3sa
Grocer is a band that demands context and attention: listen to just one song or wander away mid-set to smoke a cigarette, and you’ll completely miss what they’re about. Featuring three distinct vocalists/lyricists, Grocer is a band that grooves, but never quite settles; a group that loves a good melody, yet remains moments away from chaos. Recently described as “if The Pixies wrote a musical”, their on-stage chemistry is undeniable whether ripping through an Audiotree session or playing in their home city of Philadelphia.
Their forthcoming sophomore album, Numbers Game, is full of these tricks, nods, and winks as the band rearranges the puzzle pieces of 90s-influenced rock and dissonant pop into something utterly their own. Originally imagined as a four song EP, Numbers Game came about in two quick bursts: The first when the quartet isolated themselves in rural Georgia in January 2021 to focus on writing and escaping the pandemic, and the second immediately following an overwhelming six-week national tour the summer of that year.
Frequently, the songs find Grocer attempting to escape the turmoil of the outside world by turning inward, only to find struggles existing just as intensely within themselves: scattered throughout are allusions to technology dependencies, social complacencies, and overall realizations that they may not be the angels they presumed they were. Recorded quickly in hopes of mirroring the unhinged nature of Grocer’s live performances, Numbers Game is a cathartic, immersive dive into a band that refuses to stop searching.
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.facebook.com/itsgrocer
https://twitter.com/ItsGrocer
https://www.instagram.com/itsgrocer/
https://itsgrocer.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3UdgFit4pWnDgoazPUn3sa
Grocer is a band that demands context and attention: listen to just one song or wander away mid-set to smoke a cigarette, and you’ll completely miss what they’re about. Featuring three distinct vocalists/lyricists, Grocer is a band that grooves, but never quite settles; a group that loves a good melody, yet remains moments away from chaos. Recently described as “if The Pixies wrote a musical”, their on-stage chemistry is undeniable whether ripping through an Audiotree session or playing in their home city of Philadelphia.
Their forthcoming sophomore album, Numbers Game, is full of these tricks, nods, and winks as the band rearranges the puzzle pieces of 90s-influenced rock and dissonant pop into something utterly their own. Originally imagined as a four song EP, Numbers Game came about in two quick bursts: The first when the quartet isolated themselves in rural Georgia in January 2021 to focus on writing and escaping the pandemic, and the second immediately following an overwhelming six-week national tour the summer of that year.
Frequently, the songs find Grocer attempting to escape the turmoil of the outside world by turning inward, only to find struggles existing just as intensely within themselves: scattered throughout are allusions to technology dependencies, social complacencies, and overall realizations that they may not be the angels they presumed they were. Recorded quickly in hopes of mirroring the unhinged nature of Grocer’s live performances, Numbers Game is a cathartic, immersive dive into a band that refuses to stop searching.
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Grocer, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Philadelphia, vocalist Cody Nelson, toxic masulinity, Capitol insurrection, art punk, art rock, progressive rock, sonic mayhem, "Pick A Way",
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