"Give me one / Reason to / Count to three / What's it for? / What's it for? / What's it for...?" - Photo by Emily Burtner
Being in the divergent Philadelphia based band Grocer must be a glorious thing. First of all the band does not have one lead singer but, instead, those duties are shared by 3/4th of Grocer. I can imagine, just listening to them and writing about them now for the second time, that they don't have any "band mandates or manifestos" per say, that they don't stick to one time of genre or even define themselves in any sort of way. And, I have a feeling that Grocer is not a dictatorship but a communal democratic entity. Hey, I could be wrong but I doubt it.
Their latest public offering "Calling Out" is a progressive piece of work, a veritable shape shifting art punk extravaganza. There is amazing intricate drum work tied to the equally intricate warbling bass lines in a death match. Sparse drunken tangles and a stampede of interconnected dense instrumentation that step into each other close and then seem to back out before diving back in. Danielle Lovier's lead vox and aforementioned bass attacks feel wide and wild eyed. Of the track she shares:
“Calling Out” came out of many frustrating years spent working in the restaurant industry and finally hitting my breaking point during the pandemic. We decided to produce a video ourselves that reflected that experience with the help of a few friends. It was very cathartic to run around Philly in these off-brand costumes lamenting the 9-5 grind."
-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.
We get by with a little help from our friends
Grocer, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Philadelphia, vocalist Danielle Lovier, cathartic, math pop, art punk, art rock, progressive rock, sonic mayhem, " "Calling Out",
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.
* * *
We get by with a little help from our friends
Grocer, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Philadelphia, vocalist Danielle Lovier, cathartic, math pop, art punk, art rock, progressive rock, sonic mayhem, " "Calling Out",
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