Five years removed from their last release, Seattle’s Great Grandpa return with “Patience, Moonbeam” – an ambitious and deeply moving new album that almost didn’t happen. A decade of making music together was put on pause while each of the band’s were called in different directions. But as with any good relationship built on mutual love, trust, and a mountain of shared history, the quintet reunited, scrapped most ideas of songs they had put together, and started fresh to work on what would become their best album to date, due out in March on Run For Cover Records.
Great Grandpa’s anticipated new album “Patience, Moonbeam” arrives this Friday, and they’ve shared a final advance single, “Never Rest.” “I think we all resonate with extremes and the contrast present in our daily lives and try to express that through our song’s journeys,” Pat Goodwin says. “A truffle from Amsterdam. An odyssey across Southern Denmark on bicycle. How do you become a parent? How do you make something for your child? I’ve always loved trying to incorporate uncommon modes into our music, and felt the drone/Lydian elements brought a tension and spiritual quality to this song of transformation.
The wonderful Jeremiah Moon contributed the beautiful syrupy cello parts that sold the teetering sea sickness and psychedelia of the journey. George Martin utilized these drooping glissando string moves to such fantastic effect in much of the Beatles’ more spiritual/psychedelic moments and this proved to be our North Star as we worked on the arrangement.”
Whereas 2019’s “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 demoing process. With fewer constraints and more control, the band had the opportunity to experiment and take their time, leading to a collection that feels and sounds more fully, confidently, themselves.
Built on an “open door policy” for writing and recording, “Patience, Moonbeam” is the result of how seamlessly all five members contributed to the creation of the album. The result is a record that swings like a pendulum from heavy to tender, playful to weighty, painting a sonic illustration of the pains and pleasures of being alive across eleven songs. What could suffer from a kitchen-sink approach instead comes together brilliantly, a testament to the band’s musical and spiritual connection.
Great Grandpa from “Patience, Moonbeam“, out 28th March on Run For Cover Records.
The Fat Angel Sings 