Grumpster are a relatively young band from Oakland. They released a debut on Asian Man and jumped to Pure Noise for its follow-up, Fever Dream. While 2019’s Underwhelmed caught attention, they’ve taken the leap on their second LP. The band play DIY punk with a wide range of melodic influences. It’s singalong punk, but the 10 songs on this record all mix it up. It successfully channels the frustration of punk, the desperation of emo, and the emotional highs of pop but it avoids the predictable and tired tropes of those genres. The PR machine would probably call it post-grunge, power pop, indie-punk or something. I just call it singalong, low-profile honest punk.
This is contemporary music, exploring the issues of the 2020s, from isolation to gender dysphoria and much much more. It’s personal and the tones go up and down, often in the same song. As the band name suggests, the sunny tone is undercut by an ever-present uncertainty and dissatisfaction.
The first thing listeners will notice besides the tone is that Donnie Walsh can actually sing, showing real range in songs like “Picture” and “I Wouldn’t Dream Of It.” It’s not showy, but it gives additional depth to the emotionally charged lyrics and helps them feel relatable rather than melodramatic, offsetting some of the heavy-handed metaphors about car crashes and mirrors and such by keeping it the feel close and personal. The relationship-gone-bad story of “I Wouldn’t Dream Of It” could take that over-the-top emo turn, but instead the lyrics have a playful element, singing “You are oh-so-terrible,” a knowing wink about how it comes across, making the listener smile instead of cringe. Grumpster is really good at striking that balance.
While the songwriting ultimately defines Fever Dream, the sequencing deserves recognition. As mentioned, it covers the full spectrum of emotion and energy, moving up and down, with riff-heavy songs like “Looking Good” next to vulnerable balladry like “Vicious” and the slow build “Mirrors.” Yet it all flows together, giving a complex but never jarring story. “Mirrors” deserves a bit more discussion. The song is only 3 minutes, but is part grunge emotive rollercoaster and part post-metal crescendo. It is fully instrumental until the final 45 seconds, creating tension and then deconstructing it. In some ways, it sounds like an album segue at first, then you realize what the band is building toward and it strikes in just the right way.
This record is a journey through insecurity, disappointment, isolation and finding resolution through self-awareness and empowerment. The themes are heavy and, honestly, mostly unhappy. But the strength that flows through Walsh’s voice and the layered melodies within the songs gives a sense of much needed relief as we live through difficult times.
Fever Dream isn’t about a broken system or a broken people. It’s about the strength of people and finding peace of mind in the struggle.
