Patience, Moonbeam [CD]

Patience, Moonbeam is the first album release by Great Grandpa in 5 years. Whereas Four of Arrows mostly came together in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the studio with the help of an outside producer, Patience, Moonbeam emerged slowly through a generous, generative demoing process, with Dylan at the helm of the production and mixing. With fewer constraints and more control, the band had the opportunity to explore rabbit holes, backtrack, find new ways in. They experimented with different iterations of a single song, throwing things at the wall to see what would stick. The result is Great Grandpa's most ambitious and confident-sounding album yet. From the sparkling pop-grunge of their first record Plastic Cough (2017), to the sprawling indie rock of Four of Arrows, the band has been on a clear trajectory of both refining and re-defining their sonic identity. Patience, Moonbeam delivers on that promise, taking the band's DNA and elevating it. All of Great Grandpa's signature elements are there- Pat's nontraditional song structures and penchant for hooky melodies, Al's soothing yet stirring lead vocals-but with a sophistication and expanded list of songwriters and sounds that mirror their years of personal growth.