Having nearly disbanded before releasing their third studio album, as members moved into new stages of life and different parts of the world, Seattle-formed indie-emo/alt-country troupe Great Grandpa did eventually regroup for their follow-up to 2019’s “Four of Arrows“, and it’s their best record to date. They didn’t exactly pick up where they left off; now wiser and primed for experimentation, the band deliver a cornucopia of sound on “Patience, Moonbeam“, with bandleader Al Menne’s dynamic and HRT-fortified vocals backed by a collage of instruments including cello, banjo, clarinet and synths, flitting between folky holiness, distorted grungy breakdowns, and listing off contemporary references as casually as one would grocery items in the aisles of Trader Joe’s.
The quintet—who grew up in Seattle and have been making music together for a decade—were drawn back into one another’s orbits in 2023. They decided to scrap most of what they had previously recorded and start afresh, this time with the new perspective of their momentous years apart. The resulting album—the ambitious and deeply moving “Patience, Moonbeam“—is the sound of lifelong friends and collaborators growing up and growing together.
Gorgeous music, gorgeous album cover, absolutely love “Doom” and “Kid”. currently among my favourite album’s of 2025
Perhaps most notable is how seamlessly all five members contributed to the creation of the album, showcasing their individual voices while still managing to create something cohesive and whole. While Pat was the main songwriter on Four of Arrows and wrote much of the bedrock for “Patience, Moonbeam“, the writing and recording process for this album saw a looser, more inclusive atmosphere overall, built on what the band calls an “open door policy.”
The Fat Angel Sings 