Grin to Release Hush Feb. 16; Title-Track Streaming
As to why Berlin duo Grin went so far as to include all six tracks from their 2023 EP, Black Nothingness (review here), on the upcoming full-length, Hush, I think the obvious answer is probably the correct one: they fucking felt like it. And when a band is so vigilantly DIY — vocalist/drummer/studio guitarist Jan Oberg and bassist Sabine Oberg record and release their own material across a range of projects — you probably get pretty used to working by that standard. Given what they’ve done to this point, one neither could nor would ask them to do otherwise.
The opening title-track of Hush is streaming now, and if you heard Black Nothingness or are up for a listen, that’s down at the bottom of this post as well — certainly relevant since between the two nearly half the 16-song long-player is available. I like that I have no idea what this record might sound like yet, but you know what? I aim to find out in short order. Feb. 16 is the release date, through the band’s The Lasting Dose Records imprint. Fucking a.
Info follows from the PR wire. Preorders are up on Bandcamp in a swath of editions. Link also below:
GRIN – HUSH
Hush will be available as CD, Vinyl and Digital formats on February 16, 2024.
Presenting their fourth full-length album, GRIN continue to unravel the thread of their psychedelic destiny with an extensive exercise in absurd heaviness and DIY ethics. Breaking new ground with alien textures and foreign grooves, these 16 tracks see the Berliner power couple crafting their other-worldly dunescapes from the sands of time, dragging you deeper into their universe of dust bowl mythology and cosmic horror.
Consisting of Jan Oberg (drums, guitars, vocals) and Sabine Oberg (bass), GRIN have been building their brand of heavy psych-doom since their 2018 debut.
Ever since, the pair have been gradually moving towards a more subtle interplay of heavy grooves and unsettling atmospheres that both evoke the earthy tones of psychedelic rock as well as the celestial atmospheres of post-metal.
With Hush GRIN elaborate on the old school tendencies of their latest EP Black Nothingness. This back-to-basics exercise saw the duo work the magic of their organic combination of bass and drums in six barebones bangers that included some of the heaviest riffs recorded this year. Now they reworked those same tracks seamlessly into a larger entity that constitutes a Lovecraftian space saga built from their primeval magic.
Across forty minutes GRIN find a bizarre balance between the exotic and the alienating, conjuring strangling fruits and unfathomable tastes before our senses.
Tracks like «Neon Skies» conjure up vistas of alien cityscapes against foreign sunsets with distant layering chants hailing a chorus of distorted shakers like robot crickets in the evening sky. «Venom» features the bongos from hell posing against a fuzzy bass groove engulfed by layered screams. Playing with noise and texture like the Death Grips of Doom, Jan and Sabine manage to underlay every heavy groove with a plethora of alien noises and screeches without ever losing sight of the head-bobbing quality of their music.
Featuring many straight up bangers like the short sharp «Midnight Blue Sorrows» or the fast-paced mosher «Pyramid», Hush is definitely a song-focused affair, but with its strong overarching theme and sound GRIN still manage to drag you along on a bedazzling journey. Combining the unsettling with the skull-crushing, Hush will have your head spinning and your mind tripping out in the space between the lo-fi and highly dynamic. An unforgettable cinematic experience of textures, grooves and chilling atmospheres!
Produced, mixed and mastered by Jan Oberg at HIDDEN PLANET STUDIO / Berlin Artwork & Layout by Mirkow Gastow.
Tracklisting:
1. Hush
2. Calice
3. Gatekeeper
4. Midnight Blue Sorrow
5. Talons
6. Portal
7. Neon Skies
8. Vortex
9. Silver
10. Pyramid
11. Deathbringers
12. Nothingness
13. Venom
14. Eyes Like Daggers
15. The Tempest of Time
16. Torre del Serpe
LINE-UP:
Sabine Oberg – Bass Guitar
Jan Oberg – Drums, Vocals, Guitars, Soundscapes
Guitar solo on PORTAL performed by Caspar Orfgen (DAEVAR)
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https://thelastingdoserecords.bandcamp.com/
