Review: Grim Deeds – “Self Titled”

OUTLOUD! Records, 11 October 2021

Grim Deeds is back at it, and his songs sound as confident and varied as ever.

The ever-at-it Grim Deeds has a new album available.  As he sometimes does, this one compiles a bunch of self-released singles, tacks on a couple of new-to-me numbers, and sorts them into a compelling running order that moves through lots of styles and odd detours.  I’ve always thought of Deeds as an all-around purveyor of hook-heavy pop punk, and make no mistake, he’s still at it.  But on Self Titled, he throws in all sorts of variables that create all sorts of “what the shit is this” moments (in a good way) while connecting them mostly through his incisive and oftentimes cathartic lyrical threads.

As I mentioned above, I always think that Deeds wheelhouse tends to be pop punk with some of the greatest hooks around.  Self Titled keeps this up with fantastic singalongs and buzzing earworms that come across as strangely familiar yet voraciously original.  “Not My Usual Self” is damn near breezy, working with super melodic acoustic guitars that jangle all over the place, giving the song a whimsical feel.  And the brainwashing vocal hook on the chorus is maddeningly perfect.  But this carefree feel is countered with lyrics about dealing with bad shit and existential gloom.  Then there’s more buzzing pop punk fare like “There’s Only You” and “Too Little Too Late”, each with sugary vocal melodies and a delightful pace.  “There’s Only You” also plays around with some fun “love is in the air no matter what you do”-type lyrics that can read as wide-eyed lovely or oddly dependent – take your pick.  But one of my favorites of this pop punk bunch is “Begrudgingly”.  This one is rock solid pop punk with great lines like “begrudgingly you told me I was satisfactory” and some keyboard that instantly reminded me of Bark Like A Dog.  It’s a catchy pop punk blast for sure.   

But on Self Titled, Grim Deeds plays with a bunch of angst and aggression, too.  Songs like “Skate (Or Pay The Price)”, “It’s Not Enough”, and “Blind” truck by with blinding speed and power.  “It’s Not Enough” in particular hits me hard.  The song has a deadly riff and positively angst-ridden vocals take on escapism and an inability to handle the truth all the while digging deep into my brain.  But probably my couple of favorites of this sort are opener “Minimalist” and “Final Dawn”.  “Minimalist” has an infectious refrain (“I’m a mini-mini-mini-mini-minimalist”) that I can’t get outta my head no matter what I try and the loads of energy makes it nearly impossible to listen to without air drumming along.  And “Final Dawn” is a nihilistic gem, loaded with a pop punk-meets-skate punk-meets-hardcore sort of thing and raging with a ferociously bleak end-is-nigh thing that likely serves as nice catharsis and an anxiety exorcism.  It’s quite a blitz.  

This rampage even manages to work in some full-on metal love.  “Stand Your Line” is a fantastic cover of a Blazon Stone song with help from Blazon Stone musician Cederic Forsberg.  The metal man offers up a pop punk gem with absolutely glorious metal shreds and vibes all over the place while Deeds pulls off the vocal leads with aplomb.  “Ignivomous” takes this metal thing even further, indulging his very public metal love with a blackened speed metal song, complete with abrasive guitars and chugging riffs that just feel sinister.  The drums are set to pulverize while the cymbals cut like a slasher flick.  All the while, Deeds gives off a vocal turn that is vile and growling.  It’s sick, and it’s fun.  

And then he really makes things weird with “Clean”.  I don’t know how we come to this, but dropped into the middle of Self Titled is this electronic song that has all sorts of bleeps, blips, and bloops.  Going over top is a Deeds vocal warble that reminds me a bunch of Talking Heads’ David Byrne as he provokingly goes on about the purity of doing and saying things in a sort of filterless vacuum.  It’s the kind of detour that seems ridiculous, but in Deed’s hands it works.  It’s this sort of thing that makes Deeds engaging and challenging. 

Self-Titled is a fantastic collection.  These songs are catchy as shit and make for an irresistible listen.  Plus, it’s quite a way to work out the demons.  

Favorite song: “Not My Usual Self”, at least for today

Favorite moment: the guitar shreds on “Stand Your Line”

Favorite whatever else: how the oddball electronic song “Clean” grew on me and ended up sounding perfectly placed after a few listens through