Already an artist admired for both his searing social commentary (see the breakthrough hit ‘Blood // Water’) and heart-breaking true life stories (the fan memorial ‘Heather’), grandson is going darker, harder and more uncompromising than ever before as he prepares to release his third full-length album ‘INERTIA’.
‘INERTIA’ is the sound of grandson becoming lean and ferocious. The overarching theme is a clamour for what he calls a “growing need for class solidarity that can be achieved by seeing that across any political spectrum, people stand to benefit from the consolidation of power in the hands of the many against the few.” That concept is set to music which pumps the heart before engaging the mind: colossal heavyweight riffs, raging, blood-vessel busting raps, soaring hooks, and the philosophy that music that fights for social justice should sound like a rallying cry.
For grandson the inspiration that “really resparked my sense of purpose as an artist” was two-fold. On one hand there was the broader cultural context of the new political landscape: “the celebritization of billionaires and the rise of dark money behind politics,” plus everything that accompanied it, from the assault on queer rights to the unmasking of modern fascism and misogyny preying on masculinity to the undermining of the Palestinian solidarity movement. He felt disenchanted by the left, too. For years he had towed the party line, teaming up with Headcount, organizing thousands of voter registrations, only to watch the same corruption, insider trading, lobbying and anti working class agenda run rampant. Watching social issues get weaponized to advance corporate agendas around the world- directly impacting the communities that championed his music and resisted fiercely alongside him- refocused his efforts as a writer and social commentator to let the personal storytelling take a back seat and let the anger flow.
His second motivation was for his fans. Having played approximately 150 shows since his morbid and deeply personal 2023 album ‘I Love You, I’m Trying’ he recognized that audiences ultimately come to grandson to find an outlet for catharsis and anger- to find community and channel their pain and hopelessness into something meaningful. This became interwoven with his own personal circumstances. Moving on from his 6 years with Fueled By Ramen, abandoning the Major label bloated corporate boardroom and legal department for the lean and fan oriented path of an independent distribution model, while overcoming personal mental health challenges through a break from touring, a refocusing on therapy and dealing with issues of substance abuse gave him newfound clarity in the studio. He admits to struggling to meet the old demands of industry executives seeking to round his edges, pair him with family friendly collaborations and direct him from rock and roll into alternative pop, but those were the necessary conditions for him to finally go his own way and make something dark and original and singular in the rock space. Above all he wants fans and critics to listen to this record for what it is: the seminal work of a rising star coming into their own, abandoning expectation and embracing the moment.
The mission, therefore, was to create a maximalist sound from a minimalist set-up. In contrast to the vast array of collaborators on his previous two albums, the majority of ‘INERTIA’ was co-written with a couple good friends in a couple weeks in their home studio- in come friends No Love and Maxwell Urasky, with additional writing from his touring guitarist Leo Varella. He also immersed himself in a months long study of bands with a history of taking big messages to big audiences (Rage Against The Machine, System of a Down, Green Day) alongside those who have kept visceral rock music a stadium-scaled concern (Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Turnstile, Queens of the Stone Age). To produce and mix the songs with him he turned to Mike Crossey (The 1975, 21 Pilots, Arctic Monkeys, LANY, etc), who mentored grandson in getting the most out of a simple and organic live instrument approach to rock production, with plenty experience taking bands to the next level of their career.
The first product of these sessions, however, might initially suggest that grandson has stayed in his lane, as the soft vocals and flittery synths of the opening moments of ‘BRAINROT’ but then arena-sized riffs grind, punchy hip-hop rhythms hit hard, and grandson’s flow is uncompromisingly to the point. So by the time the final breakdown ends with larynx-shredding ferocity, it leaves the audience craving more. Its message is simple: our collective apathy has been strategically cultivated.
“That’s exactly it.” he concurs. “Your inability to hold many things in mind at once is purposely weaponized to prevent growing solidarity or consciousness for the modern justice movement. Welcome to the hell we’re living in. The best weapon you can arm yourself with is a book and a microphone, so you can understand historical context and the ways in which this is all cyclical.”
The idea of history repeating itself emerges in another new song, ‘SELF IMMOLATION’, which was inspired by Air Force serviceman Aaron Bushnell setting himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. in protest. “He was awoken to the atrocities being committed, and it was extremely moving to see him take up the ultimate sacrifice just to be heard,” notes grandson. “It was also absurd to see the police arriving with their guns raised at somebody that has lit themselves on fire. It’s symbolic of the way we only listen with violence and of our inability to understand people that are hurting, how people who victimize are ultimately victims themselves .”
grandson’s ambition for ‘INERTIA’ was to pack it full of songs that demanded a place on future setlists. As such it’s an album that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go, defined by full-throttle blasters such as the anti-AI ‘AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY ROBOT’ and ‘BELLS OF WAR’. Then there’s the punchy rap-rock groove of ‘YOU MADE ME THIS WAY’ which addresses his desire to understand people’s motivations rather than simply vilifying them, and ‘LITTLE WHITE LIES’ which targets those who “piggyback on religious, fundamental principles and bastardize them to promote their exclusionary radical agendas.” It also introduces a guest verse from UK cohorts Bob Vylan on ‘WHO’S THE ENEMY’. He credits their willingness to speak “with integrity and purpose”, respecting them as both artists and kindred spirits.
And there are big plans for when grandson takes these songs on the road. He has already been playing huge shows with Linkin Park, including their first comeback gig, and shared the stage for performances of their hit song One Step Closer for thousands. He’s also confirmed for a prestigious Left Field Tent headline spot at this summer’s Glastonbury. “It’s a huge honour to be on a curated stage that brings forth activists, artist,s and poets. I’ll be sure to bring the most pissed off version of myself!”
While ‘INERTIA’ feeds from that anger, its title comes from a more considered place. The title comes from a conversation he had with his father, who noted how many people embark upon a journey in life and unquestioningly stick to it. “They make life choices of great consequences out of blindly following a path that they didn’t even realise they were walking. For me, writing this album and making this heavy band sound has been a slow, inevitable pull from such a path. There’s also an inevitability to this systemic collapse, this unsustainability in how we are living our lives.”
‘INERTIA’ is a different path to walk that will ignite mosh pits while provoking further examination of its themes, and one in which American politics is the context to connect with a broader, progressive international audience. “So many people are fighting for different things,” he concludes. “I believe that finding connection with one another, through music or otherwise, and making collective demands for a brighter, better future, can lead us to a more holistic way of living, thinking, and consuming. It all starts with a cathartic release of energy. Meet you in the pit.”
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