Feature: The Grogans – Stagger
Exploring another side of The Grogans’ music, Stagger is a patchwork of different sounds and sonic inspirations that all come together in the one album, “it came from this idea that it was a jagged and stylistically different album track to track“.
Stagger touches on themes of mental health, taking care of yourself and your loved ones, the occasional love song, and more. As the catchy chorus first single and album opener ‘Oh Boy’ leads into sonic powerhouse of a tune ‘Come Up (Goes Down)’, ‘In My Heart’ slows it down to a new easy listening direction, followed by ‘Have a Little Dream’ – as dreamy as the title suggests – and the big open echoed instrumentation of ‘Once In A While’. Adding new textural effects in ‘Roll Back’ and last single ‘Roundabout’, ‘Happier Man’ dips into a heavier psych realm with a reminder that “striving to be a better and happier person should be a goal for everyone.” ‘Worry About Everything’ is an upbeat tune sure to have you worrying about nothing, and feel good album closer ‘All My Days’ ends on a more serious note that outlines the beauty and the beast of live music and the personal struggles that come with the lifestyle and touring.
“Mixing on the road definitely added something different to this album. Usually, I’m in the same spot whilst mixing and can come and go from each track mentally, but this time the album was attached to us at the hip. We would bring a set up through most of America and record/mix in green rooms and on the bandwagon. It was definitely worth it, as we had to work with what we had to finish the album. Only being able to reference mixes on headphones and JBL speakers towards the end of the album process was definitely harder than in a studio. However, as a band, we have never really been able to sit still, so it worked nicely. Each mix has its own personality, and I guess that’s what we wanted for this staggered album.”
– The Grogan’s Quin Grunden on mixing and engineering the album on the road across the US & Canada through June-July 2024.
Stagger the latest release from The Grogans is available now via CW Records.
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