Matt Hewson
Local garage punk outfit The Grimwoods are releasing two new singles, Nowhere to Be and Special Cake, today on streaming platforms, the band’s first releases since November last year.
Formed in 2018, The Grimwoods’ current lineup consists of guitarist/singer Liam Brennan, drummer Conor Walkeden, guitarist Tom Stevenson and bassist Jade McKentish.
Brennan, the band’s main songwriter, said both songs were written in the same period, “probably the same week”, before The Grimwoods had even come together as a band.
“I was leaving a previous band (Altitude) and I had lots and lots of material that I hadn’t shown to that band,” he said.
“I guess the catalyst (for The Grimwoods) was, if I don’t have this group, then maybe I’ll put something together with all this stuff.
“So it’s interesting that we’re finally getting around to releasing our first material. Even though we’ve put other stuff out before (these songs) it feels like they’re a little bit more the mission statement of the band.
“The idea was to keep things really simple and really straightforward. With these songs I tried to write them really quickly, not spend lots of time changing stuff but really just getting the emotional core of it down.”
Both new tunes have less of a punk rock vibe than some of The Grimwoods’ previous tracks; Nowhere to Be is a tight, punchy three minutes of guitar-driven alt-rock, while Special Cake is a catchy indie pop offering with more than a tinge of country.
Brennan said the band still had “another 15 or 20 songs” in the can, with “at least two more singles” planned for 2024 as well as a number of as-yet unannounced gigs.
“We’re always working on new stuff… we’re prolific with putting stuff together, so now we’re working on being really efficient at putting stuff out and keeping the ball rolling.”
