I’m listening to the two new singles that experimental punk Icelanders GRÓA dropped, and I’m imagining that they recorded these inside of a balloon that was slowly losing air. Both “ugh” and “beauty tips! ft Blanco Teta” are wacky and weird, intense and driving, playful and mischievous. Imagine a technicolor latex playground filled with bouncy castles with sharp edges and pits of razor-sharp spikes, that’s kind of what GRÓA’s music would morph into if it could take 3D form. Their new record Drop P is coming out via One Little Independent Records on June 6th — pre-order it here. The band says that “The only rule we follow is that there’s no wrong way to create,” and they prove that true on this record!
‘ugh’ grew out of the live version of ‘Grannypants’ from previous release ‘What I like to do’. The band layered as many instruments as possible to create the exaggerated cacophony of noise that bookends the track; 8 recorders, 8 guitars, 4 pianos, trumpet, saxophones, bells and glockenspiels. ‘beauty tips’ features Blanco Teta, the experimental rock band from Buenos Aires and comes from a deep mutual respect and admiration between the two groups.
GRÓA Live Dates May 2025:
11.05 – Venue TBC, Bragança (PT)
14.05 – VIC, Aveiro (PT)
15.05 – Venue TBC, Lisboa (PT)
16.05 – Marca Pistola, Azores (PT)
17.05 – NAAM, Barroselas (PT)
18.05 – Ferro Bar, Porto (PT)
22.06 – Avantgardefestival, Schiphorst (DE)
26.06 – Neue Zukunft – Small Room, Berlin (DE)
27.06 – Fusion Festival, Lärz (DE)
28.06 – Festpillene i Nord-Norge, Harstad (NO)
30.06 – Roskilde Festival, Roskilde (DK)
