Anticipation by Grass Jaw

Songtradr SUKS

Anticipation - the fourth full length album from Grass Jaw, the solo project of post-punk band Eighteen Hundred And Froze To Death drummer Brendan Kuntz - is a brutally honest, self-reflective project drawing on alt-country, slowcore, lo-fi indie, and garage rock. Kuntz isn't afraid to dig deep into his psyche, mining the life experiences of the past two years, from a move to a health scare to depression and the challenges of parenthood - he lays it all out on the table. This isn't wallowing in despair - it's catharsis. On "Target," the sparseness of the music leaves room for Brendan to howl into the night "would you be better off if I was gone" - the track rises and falls, collapsing under the weight of that question. That theme underpins much of the album, with self-doubt paired with a deep care for others, as in "Juggling," with the line "Tired, busy, worried. Sometimes it's just juggling too many things. You're not a thing, it's not fair for you to be up in the air." With each revelation, each questioning of the meaning of it all, the album inches closer to something that feels like closure, repeating "What a nice way to end today."
- Bryan Bruchman

Grass Jaw is Brendan Kuntz. He lives in Ithaca, NY, after a long residency in NJ. He's played drums in https://eighteenhundredandfrozetodeath.bandcamp.com/ (and other associated projects) for two decades.