Grandaddy has emerged from hiatus to pull listeners back into their martian-like dreamscape world.
The indie pop rock rockers first album since 2017, Blu Wav, exists as its own hazy, dream-like universe from beginning to end, each track a piece of a journey through melancholy.
Originally formed in 1992, the band’s most recent break followed the death of original member Kevin Garcia. Staying on point to the band’s history, Blu Wav explores both grief and the love that lingers, generating a cathartic world to explore change and the passing of time.
The album opens with title track “Blu Wav,” a song which reintroduces listeners to Grandaddy’s multidimensional sound and ability to utilize guitar tones in unexpected yet delightful ways. A short track packed with mystery, “Blu Wav,” creates intrigue through uneasy vocals and instrumentals, preparing listeners for the sonic adventure ahead.
“Blu Wav” flows seamlessly into “Cabin in My Mind,” a dreamy song on the edge of sorrow. Frontman Jason Lytle’s soft voice blends into the instrumentation as he paints vivid pictures with lyrics like “A long and lonely road / But there’s a safe and loving glow” and “Beyond the curve where you once were / And built upon the purest earth,” describing said cabin where both grief and warmth hold presence. The song’s spacey atmosphere can be seen in the band’s music video, released in December.
Fifth on the album is the modern breakup ballad, “Watercooler,” which tells the soft and familiar tale of love between coworkers. The tender and playful guitar and the catchy vocals of the chorus make this track an emotional earworm with a nostalgic sound: “Please wave to me / On your way to the watercooler / Across the break room / Just like you always do,” Lytle croons. This October single is also accompanied by a music video with a similar DIY, nostalgic essence as the video for “Cabin in My Mind.”
Following this track is the epicly titled “Let’s Put this Pinto on the Moon,” which offers a short and sweet jolt of electricity and a dash of synth that builds energy and smoothly transitions to the latter half of the album.
Another standout track, “Ducky, Boris, and Dart,” shows off Grandaddy’s lyrical ability with three sincere stories of friends whose lives have gone wrong. Trembling synth blends with warm vocals and a bleeding guitar to look fondly but sorrowfully back on lives lost. Lytle sings of said loss with the lyrics, “Ducky he actually was a big deal / Even being so small and found in a field / By me on that summer day headed for home / For a short and sweet time I wasn’t alone,” but delivers optimism with the line “But this ain’t the end.”
“Blu Wav Buh Bye” escorts us out of the cosmic blue world of Grandaddy’s sixth album. Melancholy, powerful piano with a layer of synth reminds us of the band’s delicate touch when it comes to making emotional, otherworldly music.
