Self-released, 15 October 2020
Grim Deeds goes a little faster and a little more aggressive on new EP.
Grim Deeds keeps at it. Almost so frequent are his new songs and records that it can be hard to keep up. But keep up we must. His songs run the gamut in style and can oftentimes read like the purges of his deepest and darkest thoughts. And in the cathartic din we typically find reasons to smile, tap our toes, and sing along. His newest, Foolish Hateful Stupid Man, is no different.
Well, actually, it’s a little different, in that it opens with an instrumental called “Prelude”. “Prelude” makes sense as an opener and drives by at a brisk pace. Buoyed by an ominous, sort of Western-sounding lead guitar that worms into your head without hesitation, the song ends up feeling just right, ushering in a quick and short record.
The other three songs hit on a similar theme in a lot of ways. Rather than navigating through a series of slight stylistic detours (metal-spotting, jangle-popping, etc) while keeping to some semblance of pop punk (common to a bunch of his stuff), Deeds sets his sights on pure and fast pop punk and buzzes through three more great songs that’ll get you listening repeatedly. My favorite of the bunch is “Contrary”, reveling in a cool buzzing guitar riff and a contrarian back-and-forth that resonates just a bit to me. The other two songs are wonderful as well. Both “Ignorance Is Bliss” and “Time” fly by on the back of blitz-speed drums, commanding guitar riffs, and sort of rock and roll guitar leads. The checking out lyrical theme of “Ignorance Is Bliss” hits about right and reflects on a common theme in our current existence. And “Time” has a kind of dark guitar riff married to some galloping drums, making for the most aggressive song on Foolish. And it’s got some great lyrics about lacking control and losing time to dreams of wanting something more. It’s fantastic as well.
Foolish Hateful Stupid Man is another cool collection of songs. This is Deeds at his most efficient, with all songs hitting their points and moving on in a minute or so, more or less. For those looking for a little more of an aggressive punk bend from his mind, this one’s for you.
Favorite song: “Contrary”
Favorite moment: the ominous, nearly Western sounding lead guitar on “Prelude”
Favorite whatever else: the cover art reminds me a bunch of the collages that Mr. Bob Pollard throws together for Guided By Voices record art. I love it.
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
