Enamoring in its palpable emotion and various sonic pursuits, starting from intensified rock to murky atmospherics, Once I Shut My Eyes is the gripping new album from Boy Grapes. The Washington D.C.-based mission of Sean Grapin infuses tonally dynamic productions with visceral thematic perception, exploring private tumult and psychological well being, each in the true world and inside dream-inspired abstractions.
Album opener “Sand” swells with suave momentum all through, commencing with a flickering acoustic twanging. A murmuring, conversational vocal component lingers within the background because the frolicking guitars construct amidst the percussive pit-patter. A prog-rock creativity is embraced as the electrical guitar trickling maneuvers hypnotically alongside the rhythms and persisting vocal component; the prog-rock feeling additionally excels on eclectic, angular rocker “Kinetic.” The album’s second monitor, “Humpback” touts a charismatic avant-garde rock dazzling, the place bursting guitar parts pair with dream-inspired lyrics for a replay-inducing impression. The memorable manufacturing, harking back to Man Man, charms in its playful vocal layers and flourishing guitar work.
An particularly dynamic attract reveals on “Bobby,” one other monitor impressed by a dream. Dirty guitar/bass buzzing enhances a foreboding hip-hop vocal depth, depicting the demise of the troubled titular character, who “received fists like a goddamn hammer and a soul that hurts.” “Getting Away” follows that up with one other delectably darkish attract. Debonair vocals — tempting “should you wanna take my magic come and get it” — traverse amidst post-punk guitar pulses, then escalating into an ardent hard-rocking vigor, proclaiming: “Don’t fuck with me / I received my hand on every part.” Impassioned, scorching guitars and shout-y vocal depth, exuding swagger and menacing confidence, make “Getting Away” amongst the album’s most rock-forward standouts, together with “Simply Transfer,” pushing to “simply transfer until your hеart stops beating” inside a implausible punk, post-punk, and different fusing.
A extra freak-folk attraction shines initially on “Gummo,” pondering the place one matches in — and ultimately asking “the place is my dwelling?” in a strong chorus that reminds fondly of early Weezer’s climactic tendencies. The acoustic-set preliminary ruminations develop splendidly into that power-pop and rock whimsy, then attaining an additional cinematic pop enthrallment as wordless vocal hovering carries the monitor right into a sating conclusion. Although much less intriguing in its tonal selection, with a extra predictable structural course, “Muscular Atrophy” does play nicely in its late-night verses and ascending vocals; that monitor and “Closed Up” don’t absolutely excel of their structural twists and turns, like different tracks inside.
The wonderful “Higher Time” additionally enamors with a folk-friendly power and relatable introspection. “What a waste am I with out it,” Grapin’s vocals let loose, reflecting a seek for objective. The uncooked lyricism paints an image of being trapped in a cycle of self-destruction, whereas craving for affection and connection. “All I would like is to be beloved,” the chorus confesses, highlighting the album’s tendency to interweave honest lyrical vulnerabilities amidst its ever-evolving aesthetical palette. Additionally immersing with a constantly melodic and fervently artistic attraction, Once I Shut My Eyes is an enveloping total success from Boy Grapes.
