Last fall, PopMatters premiered the track “Pale Hooves”, taken from the Athens, Georgia band Grand Vapids’ new album, Guarantees. Now it’s three months later, and the album has just been released into the world; PopMatters is proud to stream the album in its entirety below. With equal parts driving guitar riffs and catchy hooks, Guarantees is an under-the-radar indie rock LP that, well, should be on everyone’s radar. This is approachable yet somewhat distant rock that draws you in with its melancholy brood — a perfect aural companion to have when the winter skies are still grey.
Singer and guitarist McKendrick Bearden spoke with PopMatters about the album: “We began writing and recording the songs that would eventually make up Guarantees a little over two years ago. During that time we went through a lot of conflict and changes in our personal lives and even had a mutual friend who died. Emotionally, things became chaotic and I don’t think we ever really talked about how we felt with each other. We just kept writing and it became a way for us to control the chaos. As we kept working on songs together, it became evident that we were dealing with the same issues.
“We didn’t set out to write an album with a theme. There was no plan. We just really enjoyed working on songs together. But in hindsight, however vague or out of context it may be to the listener, a theme is present. On the face of it, this record is about loss, but at the same time it’s about seeking a guarantee, an idea or concept to hold on to that allows you to simultaneously look forward while looking back — something that, quite honestly, is evasive and mostly likely doesn’t exist.”
Guarantees is out now on Mumblecore. You can order it through Bandcamp at this link.