Credit: August Schultz Despite the world dragging by amidst the pandemic, it hasn't been too long since we last heard from Minneapolis' Double Grave. The band released their second full-length album Goodbye, Nowhere! in August of last year, which gave them some of the national attention they deserve. While continuing to work on new music, Double Grave is putting out a few shorter, quieter releases as a stop-gap between albums. Today, we're premiering the title track to the first EP, "Chrysanthemum." You've already heard "Chrysanthemum" if you were among the lucky few who snagged one of the first 50 vinyl copies of  Goodbye, Nowhere! — the entire EP was included on CD with a cardboard sleeve and handwritten tracklist. The songs themselves originated from guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Warden's now-defunct Animal Actor  solo project, which featured Warden singing with a four-string bass. There were plans to put out a full-length Animal Actor record, bu...

I did not write about a ton of music this year due to the stressors that affected all of us. Despite my burnout and a lack of drive, there was a ton of fantastic local releases put out during a year where hanging out at a gig involved the chatbox of a live stream. It was still amazing to be able to interview, write about, or just enjoy the music put out by bands here in Minnesota.  Granddad - What Happens After  (Brace Cove Records) What Happens After follows up  the Minneapolis-by-way-of-Alaska emo act's turbulent 2018 record. The EP chronicles the existential dread of moving into your late 20s and figuring out what to do with yourself. Vocalist Kellen Baker spends much of the release reckoning with what it's going to take to grow as a person. I've always loved Granddad's ability to turn otherwise bleak feelings into moments of combined catharsis. We don't have it figured out, but we are in this together. The band is joined by a host of their friends to bring thi...

Double Grave is definitely one of Minnesota's best-kept secrets. Since releasing their debut record in 2017, the trio has been working tirelessly, refining their blend of grunge, shoegaze, and alt rock - something that is on full display with the band's newest single, "The Farm." At its core, "The Farm" grapples with where one is supposed to fit within this existence. Right away in the first verse, vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Warden depicts feeling backed against a wall and lost among the existential horror of reality. A haze of swirling fuzzy guitars, shaped by bassist Bree Meyer and drummer Seth Tracy, supports Warden's haunting voice as he processes his thoughts. The single's mood takes a turn in the second verse during which existential dread is channeled into hope. Warden sings of moving to "the farm" in order to refocus before finding new resolve in the lyrics, "Somewhere away from here / I'll find what I like." The ...

Team Killer - "Morn" & "Woops" (self-released) Sometimes, I'm frustrated with bands. I see them rip a sick gig, or hear glowing recommendations from other bands, but I have no way to enjoy their music outside of shows. It's selfish, I know. I just really want to be able listen at any given moment. Team Killer were one of those bands. The quartet built up some healthy DIY buzz over the last year or so and finally they're releasing their first recorded music. It was worth the wait (shout out to NATL PARK SRVC for turning me onto them). The first of two new songs, "Morn," is a surprisingly tuneful piece of foggy rock. It sounds like a shoegaze version of the Strokes filtered through a reverb pedal. "Morn" is also better than virtually anything the Strokes has done in a decade, so jot that down. Nothing is quite clear - vocals, synth, and guitars all wash in and out of focus. However, Colby Boek's drums pound throughout wi...

Late last year, a video of Double Grave frontman Jeremy Warden playing solo with a bass guitar popped up on social media . That performance turned out to be the quiet debut of Warden's solo project, Animal Actor. Coming from the world of sludgy pop-grunge riffage, Warden's debut of the new project felt like a fresh take on the typical singer-songwriter genre. The song, with its distorted bass and monstrous sound, still felt intimate and sincere. Earlier this week, Animal Actor dropped the first single off of a forthcoming debut record, Not Enough . The single is extremely bare, with only a driving bass and Warden's voice. In just over two minutes, Warden sings about feelings of inadequacy and passivity. Accompanying the song is an animated loop made by Wishbone Zoe 's Sara Kochanski. Animal Actor's debut will be released through Jeremy's label, Heavy Meadow Records , later this year. Animal Actor will be on tour during the first half of September. Yo...

Changing the name of a band is always a bit of a leap of faith. Depending on fan base and name recognition, there is a very distinct possibility of losing everything the band has built, and yet, Ego Death decided to step away from their moniker and forge ahead as the moodier Double Grave . The name change and subsequent album came with a cleansing of their back catalog, and after some time away from their old material, the band decided to release what they describe as an "awkward gap in their identity" with a new compilation EP, Ego Death Forever . As someone who only recently learned about the band, Ego Death Forever serves as a look into their roots as sunnier, pop grunge trio. Their 2017 album New Year's Daydream  is a slower, more dissonant step forward that shows off Jeremy Warden's progression as a songwriter. The pop hooks are still there, but Double Grave moved from its former sunny disposition to a sonic landscape that better represents a classic Minnes...

For this weeks installment of "In Pursuit of Something Interesting," we are keeping it local and looking at Double Grave's Empty Hands EP. I stumbled across a video taken by UnderCurrentMLPS of the band playing at a club in Minneapolis and was stuck by the bands mix of sludgy noise rock and pop hooks. An easy comparison can be made between Double Grave and the legendary indie rock band Dinosaur Jr. Both are heavy, noisy, and poppy all at the same time. Jumping into "Empty Hands" the listener is greeted with dissonant chords soaked in reverb and served up with some punchy drum beats. "Rapture," the opening track, had an unexpected breakdown in the middle of it, which was great. The song itself is only one minute and 28 seconds long. So, the amount of sonic and structural diversity found in it is mildly impressive. The one critique I have with the song is the vocal production. The vocals sort of float through the ether of track. It's hard to ...