Outloud! Records, July 24, 2020
Grim Deeds makes lots of music. Here’s more (and it’s good).
California’s Grim Deeds makes lots of music using different monikers (mostly Grim Deeds and Dumberger) and releases it with a frequency that’s head spinning. And I’m into it.
Pathos is the newest from Deeds, a 7-song offering that puts together a bunch of one-off songs he’s released in the past month or so. Like most Deeds stuff, you’re gonna hear a bunch of influences with some metal touchstones, some quirky pop and bubblegum elements, and even some jangle rock, all filtered through a pop punk filter and some thoughtful and clever lyrical insights. Opener “What About Me” plays with a cool and melodic bass (something that happens time and again on the record) and some jangly guitars as it bounces along at a mid-tempo pace. “I Refuse” is another of these catchy jangle songs that bounds along with endless energy. And both seem like they’re going after the selfish tendencies in our society, with “What About Me” sarcastically singing lines like “I want what’s mine and some of yours too, it’s fair if I believe it’s true”, while “I Refuse” goes after people who ignore experts and facts (a theme also hit later on with the buzzing mid-tempo song “Empowered By Pride”).
Elsewhere, heavier punk rock takes hold. “The Paratrooper” is faster than the other stuff on here and the guitars buzz while the bass takes the melodic lead, sounding as close as I’ve yet heard to Deeds doing a Lillingtons song. “Pteranodon” mostly fits that description, too, only at a slightly slower pace. And “My Unicorn” sounds like a Deeds stab at his beloved heavy metal, with the melodies and harmonies sounding like a NWOBHM rip from Iron Maiden or something.
Deeds also throws a fun bubblegum cover on at the end of Pathos with the song “Double Bubble”, landing all the right hooks and singalongs of the Kung Fu Monkeys original and delivering a pretty light carefree end to an otherwise weighty and sort of dark record.
Pathos is another cool mini-collection of songs from Deeds. Like a bunch of his records, the stylistic changes sometimes make it feel like a punk rock mixtape, but it works for me. If you’ve been into his stuff before, this is more singalong goodness and brain venting that you’ll like. If you’ve not heard him before, this is as good a place to start as any.
You might like this if:
- You can get into eccentric musical quirkiness, clever and insightful lyrics, and catchy hooks
You might not if:
- You struggle with records that maybe feel like they lack a cohesive sound
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
