Grandson has just released his sophomore album, I Love You, I’m Trying! This new release, which focus mainly on internal struggles, is the follow-up to 2020’s Death Of An Optimist which focused more on politics and externanal issues. This album is raw and emotional and brings an introspective look into the life of the Canadian-American singer.
I first saw Grandson at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in 2022 after being a fan since about 2019. I’ve always loved his music just because it’s different and every song has a powerful message. His music alone is powerful enough, but seeing him live is a whole nother story. He’s one of those performances that really stood out for me because he’s so passionate about his work and you can feel that radiating energy from the crowd.
I Love You, Im Trying is the most personal work he’s ever put out.
It explores some of his deepest rooted fault line and cover subjects of suicidal ideations, family secrets, long distant relationships, insecurity, and ulitimaly the acceptance of change and letting go of a version of yourself you’ve held onto too tightly. “Above all my work and life as Grandson has been about empowering others, and the only way for me to feel like this album is a success is to hold onto that core principle. So I want to thank you for listening and holding space and giving me so much.” Said Grandson on an Instagram post about the album.
My personal favorite off the album is “Drones.” Grandson said about the song “It’s about the stories we tell ourselves to delude ourselves when things go bad. The drones humming in the sky look like paper kites, the bombs going off in the distance look like fireflies dancing if you squint hard enough.” He said he wanted to pay homage to bands like Tool and System Of A Down with this track who are known for unpredictable time signatures and bring some hip hop into it.
“Murderer” tells the story of an egotistical musician scrambling for success, and how Grandson himself feels like he is underrated. At first, the song comes across as a cocky and sort of tantrum like as this artist watches newer, younger artist rise to fame before him. The song takes a 180 about two thirds of the way in, and paints a tragic portrayal of how the music industry can so easily chew up and spit people out. With the ever-rising frequency of overdosed suicides, and how young musicians are only ever really seen as legends once they’re dead.
“Heather” will give you chills the entire time you listen to it.
Believe me, I’m the type of person that rarely gets chills, and this song gave me them for 3 minutes straight. While the whole album is vulenerable and honest, it’s this track that really shows us Grandson at his most emotional. The track is a gut-wrenching thank you to not only the fans, but also a close friend of his that gave him so much support, and an apology for not doing more as they lost their battle to mental illness.
“I’ll be making a donation to TWLOHA, a non-profit dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addictions, self-injury, and suicide on behalf of XXResitance and the grandkids” says Grandson on Instagram. “May you allow your best to feel like enough”
Grandson is heading out on a world tour starting in just one week! The US part of the tour kicks off on May 12th in San Diego, California and will go until July 11th in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. The Canadian part of the tour picks up on July 17th in Montreal and concludes in Victoria on August 3rd. With only a one month break, Granson heads off to Europe to finish off his world tour starting in Dublin on September 3rd before finishing on Oct 18th in Vilanius. This insane tour kicks off in just one week so make sure you grab your tickets and stream I Love You, I’m Trying now!
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