Grandmas House - Anything For You EP Review
Noisy, nuanced, and never relenting, ‘Grandmas House’ show us that grief, loss, and longing can be loud, messy, and full of echoing rage.
Sprawled across this five-track EP, the band explore the depths of torment after a turbulent time in the band members’ lives, describing the period on Instagram as ‘a dark time, through grief, experiencing loss in all its forms and through an illness that has made our unbreakable bond even stronger’. Since forming at university, at a time where they admit that none of them could play their instruments, they have forged a path in the vibrant Bristol scene, siphoning influence from IDLES, Soft Play and Shame. However, they are not just your average Riot Grrrl band - they offer something far more exciting.
A masterclass in juggling pure bravado and unapologetic aggression with honest vulnerability, this EP sees the band thrash out with rage on ‘Screw It Up’, a raucous and volatile opener that doesn’t hide its imperfections with a gritty, raw vocal delivery that is overflowing with ferocity and unashamed frankness. Haunting guitar lines drenched in distortion drive the track forward with frantic drums carrying the blissful ignorance of the lines such as ‘if I don’t think, then I’ll be alright’.
The second track ‘Slaughterhouse’ is a switch to a softer opening, with a gentler guitar riff and a warming, thumping kick drum introducing us to the vulnerability that is deeply and openly explored on this EP. ‘I’d let you eat the heart out my chest, if it would help you move’ is a heartbreakingly sacrificial opening lyric - a desperate offering from one body to another, a wishful plea for healing for a loved one no matter what the price may be. What follows is a flurry of offerings, closing with the yearning of ‘I’d do anything for you’ from which the EP’s title is stolen. The lyrics read like a more chilling version of the metaphors and musings on John Cooper Clarke’s ‘I Wanna Be Yours’.
Although they offer much more than just punky energy, ‘From the Gods’ channels the vigour and vitality of punk’s early days, with a subtle urgency and quotable chants throughout. ‘Nothing Special’ does well to build on this vintage feeling, as frenzied drums and heavily distorted and discordant guitar riffs go ‘round and around and around we go’ - to put it in their own words.
Rounding off the EP comes ‘Haunt Me’, another tender moment that feels almost gothic in nature with longing and grief at the very forefront. Stacked guitars and another gentler vocal offering simmers and confesses ‘want you to haunt me’ - a harrowing sentiment on a track that sits in the emptiness and hopelessness of losing a loved one, in the void that is created from a vital presence ceasing to exist, clinging onto just the slither of connection you may get from their ghost. A perfect closer to an EP that explores the deepest pits of grief, attachment, and longing.
This offering feels like a therapy exercise for Grandmas House - a cathartic release of pent up anxieties and traumas, channelled into five profound post-punk hits that leave an indelible mark.