by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
It’s been just about a year since Grass Jaw released the excellent Germs LP (as fitting an exploration in 2021 as it was in 2020), but much has changed for Brendan Kuntz’s solo project. Like so many young families, the pandemic found Kuntz and his family leaving their home in Jersey City for the spacious land of Ithaca, a change that has impacted his upcoming album, Anticipation. Due out on November 5th, the record (which is being self-released on limited edition vinyl) is a reflection of the sacrifices we make as we get older and the battles with depression that come with it.
Having already shared the album’s first two singles, “Dark Months” and “Weight / Chemicals,” Grass Jaw bring us their latest, “Displacement,” a song heavily rooted in the album’s themes of navigating depression. Grass Jaw has a knack for making songs that are intimate and personal but feel relatable to anyone listening. “Displacement” does so with a weary sort of Americana vibe and a sense of despondency, but the songwriting is full and layered with doubled vocals and fuzzy guitars, adding texture to the malaise. As Kuntz sings “there’s no need to bury me, I’m burying myself” you can feel the weight of the words, a crushing sentiment that nearly feels to heavy to lift, but he reminds us “it helps sometime to stop and look around and orient yourself.”