Four of Arrows

Description

Four of Arrows is the new album from Seattle based indie rockers Great Grandpa out on Big Scary Monsters/Double Double Whammy in Oct 2019. It follows on from 2017s delightful and well received debut Plastic Cough. In the Wildwood Tarot deck, the Four of Arrows is adorned with a painting of man face down on the ground. The titular arrows surround him, sticking straight up from the ground but never making contact; a large butterfly hovers above him. The card symbolizes rest a call to recharge and recovery. This card revealed itself to Great Grandpas Pat Goodwin in a reading and the symbolism aptly embodied where he and his fellow bandmates were in their lives. Following the 2017 release of Plastic Cough, the band were a unit, they lived together, worked together, and toured tirelessly across the country. As tours ended and band members relocated across the US, they found themselves suddenly separated and eventually isolated. The time spent apart wasnt planned, but it proved to be necessary. It was a chance to gain perspective into their lives, relationships, and creative purpose. Thus enters Four of Arrows, a creative turn toward introspection and Great Grandpas collective result of rest and solitude. Undoubtedly, the 11 songs comprising Four of Arrows are a departure from the playful nods to pizza and zombies on Plastic Cough. The writing and recording process had evolved less Seattle garage jams and more vulnerable solo songwriting sessions. Most of the songs on Four of Arrows were written in isolation by Patrick and Carrie Goodwin while traveling and living in the Midwest. Though written separately, the songs came to life when the band reunified and began recording with producer Mike Vernon Davis (Modest Mouse, Portugal. The Man) on New Years Day in 2019. The band instantly found common threads between their individual contributions, citing mutual love and admiration for vulnerable and emotionally resonate music. Four of Arrows embraces subtlety and pays close attention to the quiet. From the methodical dirge of Dark Green Water into the haunting and howling guitar of Digger Great Grandpa try something new by letting the acoustic guitar and piano lay the foundation for many of the albums tracks. Despite the quiet, Alex Mennes charismatic vocals burst triumphantly through on each song.