Grumpster’s self-titled third record sees the Bay Area punk band—The group consists of Donnie Walsh (bass and vocals), Lalo Gonzalez Deetz (guitar), Alex Hernandez (guitar), and Noel Agtane (drums)—turning over a new leaf. The record will be released on April 26 via Pure Noise Records and features the new single titled “Wither,” an honest and somber single about slowly sinking into the abyss that is grappling with one’s mental health. Walsh describes the issues that led him to pen the tune. “Over the past few years, I developed some pretty intense issues with my appetite and eating in general and it was starting to take its toll. I felt my body and brain getting weaker and it felt like I was starting to wither away, hence the song.” For the band, this sort of honesty is something that they want to keep in their songwriting, as it helps them process difficult emotions. “I like to write about what’s currently going on because that’s all I can usually think about.”
Formed in Salem, MA, the group grew up on Green Day’s Dookie and other forms of East Bay punk. In 2015, as a teenager, he plotted a trip out to San Francisco with a friend, scoping out the stages where bands like Operation Ivy and Crimpshine got their starts. Soon after returning home, Walsh bought a one-way ticket and decamped west permanently, picking up odd-end jobs, including at Guitar Center, to pay the bills.
Within a few months, Walsh crossed paths with Deetz, a guitarist from nearby Albany, CA in whom they found a kindred spirit. Impossibly, when the pair got together to jam, they discovered they’d written near-identical songs, down to the chord progressions. Scouring the scene for a drummer who could match their preternaturally shared tempo, Walsh and Deetz eventually got in touch with Noel Agtane, a Bay Area native who’d drummed around town, across church bands, indie-alt group Oh My Heart, and pop-punk band Triples Alley. After getting a sample of his intimidating blast beats, the pair asked him to slow it down and were rewarded with the steady, studied, powerhouse percussion they’d been hearing in their heads all along. Since the release of their album Fever Dream the band has added guitarist Alex Hernandez. Described as a deliciously deadpan punk, the band creates a hard-charged sound that “sits nicely next to Green Day and Operation Ivy.”
With the band’s single, Walsh wanted to write about his current circumstances. “That (mental and eating struggles) had been going on so I wrote that little part of the song and then we turned it into a full song.” Speaking about the new album the band says, “Grumpster is an album mostly about mental health. It’s about the ebbs and flows of mental health, depression, anxiety, love, physical health, etc. This collection of songs is all about lived experiences, feelings, emotions, and how it felt to exist in general over the past couple of years.” For Walsh, writing about experiences is “pretty easy” for them. “If you’re experiencing something, it’s easier to write about instead of making up stories about things that aren’t happening. I’d rather just be real.” To Walsh, honesty was key to writing for this record. “It’s obvious what the record is about whereas before everything was a little more cryptic and sugar-coated. Not necessarily made up but trying to make it poetic.” Although metaphorical songs are helpful when learning to write music, Walsh says that he likes being honest and that listeners can know what his music is about. “It’s fine, you can know. I’ll tell you.”
For Agatane, the record sees the band being “reincarnated,” energized by the new tunes and the way the album introduces all the members of the band. “The rollout has been cool, with the first single introducing Donnie and “Bottomfeeder” introducing Alex. ‘Bern Needs His Meds’ introduces another side of the album too.” With all of the group members “putting in their 25 percent,” as Walsh laughingly phrases it, the band feels unstoppable. Walsh jokes that if he was able to “erase the first two albums from everyone’s memory” he would do so. Walsh adds that teamwork is essential to their dynamic. “We all wrote this album together in the room and we were all together at every point of it.”
Agathane adds to the sentiment of putting in effort collectively contributing to a positive mindset among the band. “It feels like we were figuring everything out and it feels like we’re hitting the goals that we were trying to hit all of this time as a band.” “Now that we have an idea, we can run with it,” adds Agathane.
Humor is a part of the group’s aura both musically and personally, something that comes to the surface throughout the record. “The band worked together seamlessly to put out a record that let all of them shine. With a punk sound that stays friendly despite its edge, the album deftly mixes humor and honesty for a fun listening session, something that the whole group loves. “We’re very proud of it.” says Agathane and company.
Grumpster is out Friday and you can pre-order it now from Pure Noise Records. Follow Grumpster on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for future updates.
Photo courtesy of Grumpster
