Good Grief, the new record from Milwaukee-based indie rockers
@manatee_fates is out now on the Panamanian (and Grammy-winning) label
@_editoris ! In the wake of a few lineup changes, a shelved 2020 album, and a pandemic-induced hiatus, Vanity Plates recorded, mixed and mastered the album at
@silvercitystudios in 2023, their first record in six years.
Good Grief expands on the confessional nature of their debut album You Want to Move, and showcases a more refined sound thanks in large part to the addition of
@pete_cio on bass and close collaboration with Silver City’s
@josh_evert_ . Surf and doo-wop riffs, textured, melodic solos, and perfectly-placed jam breaks (glued together with super tight drumming from Shane Timm) bring you back into your body just when lead singer Alex Shah’s (
@fakevacationpics ) painfully relatable lyrics start getting to your head. These moving parts create a rich and nuanced sonic landscape so that the sad lines don’t need to be taken neat and the clever lines get their well-deserved exclamation points.
This collection of songs sits comfortably within itself as a cohesive, honest body of alt pop that reminds the listener that they are not alone in their experiences. Good Grief serves as an invitation, an acknowledgment that we all have the same things to say as its songwriter, even if we don’t do it as poetically or with such a nice Wisconsin accent or with our friends counting us in.
Good Grief Day will be observed tonight at Linneman’s along with the excellent additional musical stylings of
@beautystepsss and
@buenacara_mke . $15 (no one turned away), doors at 7, music at 8, tapes and other slick merch available for purchase, Brian at the door, Jimmy on the sound board, Marty behind the pine (probably).
Photos by
@b0bbi.e
Writing help by
@sure_thing_casey 
