Exactly a year since the release of Healer, alt-rock five-piece Grouplove is readying the follow-up with the announcement of a surprise record called This is This, dropping March 12. “We hope this album gives people the permission to f***ing scream or head-bang or punch walls,” the band says in a statement.
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“It’s important to stay emotional. The whole rainbow is important,” they continue. “If we just live in the light blues, are we really alive? I’m not. I need to feel it all.”
The first primer, a song called “Deadline,” explodes with a rubbery, erratic energy that will surely get the blood pumping. Everybody’s got a place they like to go / I’ll never never, never make it on my own, they turn over pent-up frustrations. I get the feeling that you wanna lose control / And you know I’ll go there with you / Everybody’s got a place they like to hide.
In the accompanying visual, directed by Isaac Deitz (Lecrae, Propaganda, Family Force 5), the band lures the viewer into a vintage world of TV static and SMPTE color bars, further capturing the only real place any of us have found comfort the last year. I‘m turning off the TV / Wish I had a bedtime, their words fall like confetti around our lives. God I miss my family / Living on a deadline.
This is This is largely produced by Grouplove with frequent collaborator Ricardo Acasuso and additional contributions from Malay (Frank Ocean) and Dave Sitek (Yeah Yeah Yeahs).
Today (March 11), Grouplove will celebrate the album release with the launch of a brand new livestream concert series, called This is This Moment, on the premium digital live platform Moment House. Monthly live performances (every second Thursday of the month) will contain unreleased music, fan favorite deep cuts, cover songs, and Q&A sessions. Grab tickets and get more info here.
Check out the album track list below;
1. “Primetime”
2. “This Is The End”
3. “Deadline”
4. “Scratch”
5. “Oxygen Swimming”
6. “Just What You Want”
7. “Seagulls”
8. “Shake That Ass”
9. “Shout”
Photo by Jimmy Fontaine
