Great Grandpa have been expanding the scope of their sound with every release dating back to their debut EP Can Opener, which turned 10 years old at the beginning of March. And although it’s been over five years since we’ve heard from the band, with vocalist Al Menne dropping a stripped-back yet equally complex indie-folk solo debut in the interim, their new album Patience, Moonbeam more than makes up for that absence with 12 sprawling tracks that venture into the realms of conceptual art rock, the alt-country twang of Menne’s Freak Accident LP, pounding shoegaze, and nearly everything in between with equal levels of confidence and curiosity.
Ahead of the album’s release this Friday via Run for Cover, the band is sharing one last pre-release single in the form of the album’s proper opener, “Never Rest.” Following a brief instrumental intro, the track sets the scene for Patience, Moonbeam with contemplative acoustic guitar strums and string accompaniment ultimately giving way to grandiose full-band sounds padded out by collaborator Jeremiah Moon’s “syrupy” cello, which lends the song a certain “teetering sea sickness,” as the band’s Pat Goodwin puts it while likening the single’s psychedelic flourishes to The Beatles’ more spiritual moments.
Regarding the lyrics, Goodwin notes that the song was largely inspired by his and his partner/bandmate Carrie Goodwin’s son and the journey the couple’s been on as parents. “I think we all resonate with extremes and the contrast present in our daily lives and try to express that through our song’s journeys,” he shares. “A truffle from Amsterdam. An odyssey across Southern Denmark on bicycle. How do you become a parent? How do you make something for your child? I’ve always loved trying to incorporate uncommon modes into our music, and felt the drone/Lydian elements brought a tension and spiritual quality to this song of transformation.”
Check out the new single below, and pre-order Patience, Moonbeam here.
