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Listen to South California Post-Punk Act The Grin’s “Count Your Blessings” LP
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Through the murky depths of a postmodern haze, we emerge to find ourselves in the shadowy presence of The Grin. Born from the sun-scorched sands of Huntingdon Beach, California in the fateful year of 2019, these three enigmatic figures – Elijah Beaty, Jackson Wasserman, and Ronnie Dunmore – weave a tapestry of sound as elusive as the Cheshire Cat’s smile. The Grin, a name that evokes both the macabre and the mysterious, draws us into a labyrinthine world that defies the very constraints of conventional genres.
Determined to shatter the prosaic boundaries of the musical landscape, The Grin embarks on aural explorations that transcend the mundane, dissolving the rigid walls between rock, electronica, and a myriad of other sonic possibilities. Never ones to succumb to the monotonous trap of repetition, they remain intrepid voyagers, unafraid to embrace the wildest frontiers of experimentation.
In their latest LP, Count Your Blessings, the band plunges into the depths of California Gothic with the haunting opening track, “In The Bare Moonlight.” This atmospheric piece sets the stage for the rest of the album. The second number, “Heartache,” delves further into the abyss of despair, epitomizing the melancholic essence of post-punk.
With “Sick and Entitled,” the band reignites the fire of rebellion, mounting their steeds and galloping back into the rock arena. This energetic track pulsates with a frenzied punk backbeat, punctuated by the piercing resonance of guitar strings. The album ultimately descends into introspection with “The Final,” – a song that commences with a nod to the Jesus and Mary Chain’s signature sound before erupting into bursts of raw intensity. Count Your Blessings is a testament to the band’s ability to navigate the shadowy territories of post-punk while maintaining a distinct and engaging sound.
We hear shades of The Gun Club, The Damned, and The Stranglers in their oeuvre, as well as dark surf and spaghetti western moments. Amidst this dizzying maelstrom of influences and styles, there lies a singular, inescapable constant – a tone that is as eternally present as the darkness that envelops the ocean floor. It is this darkness, this ever-present sense of melancholy and anger, that permeates every note and reverberates through the marrow of The Grin’s very essence.
The Grin, in all their cryptic glory, have forged a path through the tangled undergrowth of sound, guided by the unwavering flame of creative courage. They invite us, the listeners, to join them on their descent into the depths of the human soul, where we may find ourselves caught in the embrace of the shadows, and perhaps – for just a fleeting moment – catch a glimpse of that tantalizing, enigmatic smile.
Listen to “Count Your Blessings” below via Spotify:
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