SPOTLIGHT: Great Grandpa Illuminates the Power of Friendship in New Album ‘Patience, Moonbeam’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KYLEE WIENS ☆
Photo by Jake Menne
TO GREAT GRANDPA — growing pains are all too familiar. Since the release of their debut record Plastic Cough in 2017, the band has been on a continuous journey of growth and shapeshifting identity. As typical in any group made up of unique members, the band began to drift apart slowly over time. By the fall of 2020, the Seattle-based quintet wasn’t confident about the future of their project. With members moving abroad, pursuing solo projects, or producing for other bands, Great Grandpa paused production on their album in progress. However, the group’s shared love and history were ultimately strong enough to bring them back together. By 2023, Great Grandpa had decided to scrap most of their previous work on the album and build it back up again from their foundation of friendship and trust. The result is the beautifully bright Patience, Moonbeam - a kaleidoscopic insight into what it means to grow up, grow apart and grow back together again.
Patience, Moonbeam feels like the flourishing bloom planted by the seeds of the band’s 2019 release, Four of Arrows. While Four of Arrows shone with its jangle-pop hooks and fuzzed guitars, Patience, Moonbeam thrives on its lush instrumentation and polished production. An ornate string section paired with masterful fingerpicking and ambient textures makes for a release that only elevates Great Grandpa’s previous work.
As the title might suggest, Patience, Moonbeam represents a desire for stillness. Despite the full instrumental landscape, there exists a contradictory lean toward subtlety; beauty is found in the mundane. Each track unfolds carefully, revealing its emotional themes with tenderness. The Luna Collective recently sat down with lead singer Al Menne to chat more about friendship, vulnerability, closeness, and the sonic illustrations of such themes.
Photo by Rachel Bennett
Standout tracks include the effervescent and bright “Junior” with its lyrical impressionism of the American Dream. “Emma” follows, and nods to the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Big Thief with its poetic abstractness and warm, yet gravelly vocal timbre. “Never Rest” shines with its gorgeous string section. According to Menne “[Abby Gunderson and Jeremiah Moon] just sat on the floor and improvised, and it was magical. Watching them tap into something so beautiful and expressive with violin and cello—it felt like a whole other world.”
Menne’s favorite on the album is “Never Rest.” They say “I get chills every time I hear it. Pat Goodwin wrote it as a sort of lullaby for his and Carrie’s first son, Thomas. There are moments in that song that feel like a hug from a friend. As close as I am with Pat and Carrie, there’s a whole part of their lives as parents that I don’t fully see. Listening to that song feels like I’m being let in a little more.”
The album's emotional apex comes with the track “Task,” an account of the way the band reconnected after so much time apart. Lyrics “Saw you at a party, we called you by your new name/You had changed, but the heart of you was still the same” reference Al Menne’s transition, which took place during the creation of the album. Menne explains “I don’t want to say COVID caused me to come out as trans, but that time really gave me the space to dive deep into my feelings and emotions. If I hadn’t come out when I did, I don’t think I would’ve been able to participate in this album the way I did. My transition journey helped me show up more fully - not just as a musician, but as a friend and collaborator. It gave me the space to be a better version of myself with the people I love most. You know how toddlers save their biggest emotions for the people they feel safest with? I think that’s true for all of us.” Menne’s journey to becoming themselves is evident in each track, with vocals that show restraint through tenderness, and power through emotional candor.
While parts of the album may initially seem sonically disjointed, the parts come together as a whole with time. Menne adds “The more you sit with it, the more the story reveals itself.” It’s true, that much like a slow-burning candle, the themes of grief, family bonds, and existential reckoning are unveiled as the album progresses. Ultimately, the story comes together to unmask the truth that individuals suffer when disconnected, but love and clarity is found through friendship and familial bonds.
Through distance, transformations, new life, past baggage, and against all odds, Great Grandpa has produced a beautiful piece of art that speaks to their growth. Through the power of trust and mutual respect, they have shared an album that speaks to the wounded and the lonely, offering a glimmer of hope and healing. “Patience, Moonbeam” is an album that asks you to meet it with open ears and hearts, giving back nothing but beauty in return.
