grandson - get your hands dirty!
8.4Overall Score
Lyrics8
Vocals8
Musicianship9
Emotion8
Consistency9

Grandson, Dirty
Fueled By Ramen

FINALLY! It’s finally here! One of rock’s favourite genre-bending heavyweights has announced news of his debut album, and with such a scorching back catalogue up till now, it’s guaranteed to be a ripper. That’s right: grandson has announced a full-length record. Death of an Optimist is out December 4th, and till it drops, our optimism for it is alive and kicking.

The news comes with a fresh tune: Dirty strikes the perfect balance between grandson’s fiercer tunes and his more mellow TEXT VOTER XX TO 40649 summer series, mixing gritty beats with groovy brass, an irresistible bassline, and bubbling lyrical flow. It’s lighthearted whilst still maintaining its edge; grandson invites you to “get your hands dirty” with a sly grin and effortless cool.

Fans who love the more intense side of grandson, the side that would have seen him go down a total storm with A Day To Remember had their summer Slam Dunk shows been able to go ahead, will be taken in by vicious earlier singles Riptide and Identity. Riptide is a damning banger that feels huge even in its more stripped-back moments – this is no Vance Joy. The jittery, gigantic electro-driven build in Riptide is a highlight that’s well reprised on Identity, with a melancholy facelift. Jagged, anthemic moments pepper the confessional track, corroborating that grandson is as powerful of a musician as he is a storyteller.

Whichever direction grandson goes in on Death of an Optimist guarantees a debut for the ages. But as he walks along the cutting edge of the rock scene, there’s no reason he can’t go in every direction he’s tested so far and smash it to glorious pieces.

Death of an Optimist is out December 4th.