In Grenada
Gig Seeker Pro

In Grenada

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | SELF

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | SELF
Band Rock Alternative

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"In Grenada's Impressive Debut"

Of particular interest is In Grenada, who will finally be celebrating the official release or their long-gestating debut album, Break, with a record-release show at Johnny Brenda's this Friday evening.

While demos of the 10 tracks that would eventually make it onto Break have been floating around for at least a few months, the final result is something to behold.

At the core of the four-piece band is chief songwriter Jesse Leyh, who also performed and recorded most of the music on the tracks last year.

From the start you get Distance and Temptation, a jaunty blast of pop goodness driven by jangly guitar and vocals loaded with genuine yearning. It's a hell of an attention-grabber, making a quick point: These are well-polished songs that are the result of careful songwriting and a shrewd sense of good pop music.

On songs like It Doesn't Matter, Leyh's lyrical abilities are evident, and the vocals come across on a level that reminds one of a sort of Conor Oberst poetic sensibility. And yet the atmospherics of the song are full of rocking grandeur, a shining, driving mass of noise that might recall something in the vein of Arcade Fire or Wolf Parade.

You can hear bits of the Talking Heads and Bowie in some tracks too, but overall there is a more organic element creeping through the songs, giving them an intriguing balance between cool, synthetic glam stylings tied to the late '70s and an earnest, unpretentious rock vibe that seems to be something of Leyh's own invention.

The instrumentation itself is fairly simple, guitars and drums met with the occasional keyboards, mandolins, xylophones or a harmonica in the more rootsy moments.

Some songs are gorgeously pared down, as in the acoustic strumming that introduces There's a Change, a comparably quieter number that puts a spotlight both on the vocals and the impressive songwriting - lyrics that impart a deeper sense of spirituality and philosophy than most rock outfits are willing to strive for these days.

On Beating Heart, rapid and prickly percussion gives the song a sort of Tropicalia element, but the overall impression the listener is left with is closer to a Springsteen number that's all wrapped up in some cool atmospherics.

Despite the seemingly wide swath of influences that find their way into Break, it appears that In Grenada found a way to weave that all together for a cohesive, distinct sound that pleasantly persists from start to finish. - Philly.com


"In Grenada"

Jesse Leyh's musical roots lie less on some island in the south Caribbean Sea, and more in a northerly direction. The primary songwriter and studio rat behind Philly's In Grenada makes shimmery, positively anthemic indie pop that could be easily mistaken for the latest from The Arcade Fire — or perhaps for both groups' spiritual parentage, The E Street Band. For their new full-length, Break, Leyh expanded the lineup to a harmonica-toting seven-piece that shines on the full-blast crescendos ("Distance and Temptation") but makes excellent use of space ("On the Line"). - City Paper


"Today's New Band - In Grenada"

Today’s New Band pull off a similar trick, I suppose. In Grenada have created a dense, warm, attractive sound by fusing the old and the new, the grand and the slight.

Broken Castle is what the Arcade Fire might sound like if they weren’t so humourless – it’s a cheery, clobbering romp. Beating Heart, suitably pulsating, throbs with drive and determination. In these songs, they sound world-weary and happy to be alive all at once.

Whatever it is that their songwriter eats for breakfast, I want some, because all of In Grenada’s songs are urgent and confident, piledriving their folksy melodies into a bigger rock template. Need vim? Need vigour? Listen here! - A New Band A Day


"New To Know - In Grenada"

I really enjoy discovering great new acts from Philly and, despite their name, In Grenada is very much in my fair city. The foursome are about to release their first album Break and allowed me to sneak a listen in advance of its July 2nd due date. Drawing some influence from feel good new wave and melding it with a scenic pop sensibility their music is montage worthy. Dense arrangements of repetitive guitars bound to subtly building percussion give it some weight while the synths push a lighter musical agenda. The use of a harmonica on the wonderful “On The Line” provides just enough suggestion of loneliness to support the suspicion in the lyrics. The rest of the album plays out with similarly intelligent construction. I’m sharing these two nibbles with you in sincere hopes you download the full album. They’re having their album release show on July 2nd at Johnny Brenda’s with Busses and New Motels.

- The World In A Paper Cup


"This Evening: Grazie, Grenada"

Why, for the love of Bruce, is In Grenada (pictured) one of the most under-appreciated bands in Philly? We don’t know — truly, we’re stymied — but hopefully, it’ll change with the release of Break, the band’s first full-length long-player. On Break, you’ll find glockenspiels, big romantic synth beds, epic and distant Telecasters and lots of the other reasons you’ve been secretly hoarding a Boss-circa-Tunnel-of-Love jones all these years, all while also conjuring some very real Echo & The Bunnymen vibes. In Grenada open for Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea and Asteroid #4 tonight at Johnny Brenda’s; we are begging you to go see them. Please don’t let a band this good go to waste, Philadelphia. - Philebrity


"In Grenada CD Release Party"

Yes, In Grenada wants you to start the partying this weekend with them tonight when they celebrate the release of their debut album Break. It’s full of feel good pop begging to be the soundtrack to your summer. They’ve recruited a couple of The Deli favorites to join them (whom also happened to release most excellent albums themselves this year) when they invade JB's for a fun-filled evening. Busses’ bombastic psychedelic rock will get you pumped up while New Motels’ well-crafted, classic feeling tunes may induce spontaneous sing-alongs as well as hoots and hollers that will keep the party rollin’. - The Deli


"Live Music"

Just to get it out of the way, yes, In Grenada sounds a hell of a lot like the Arcade Fire. There’s the same shaky-voiced desperation and reverb-draped drama to Jesse Leyh’s delivery, though his tunes are often scaled back to a lilting, folky (or even country) core. The local project is barely a year old, taking root after Leyh left the promising Movable Type, and In Grenada’s live shows have been infrequent while he and his bandmates presumably chip away at a proper album. That makes this midweek appearance a suitable progress report because there’s a dreamy catchiness to Leyh’s tunes that can’t and won’t be denied. - Philadelphia Weekly


"Artist To Watch"

Philadelphia’s In Grenada are currently hard at work crafting an album that, if the demo tracks they sent me to are any indication, will be solidly sitting amongst 2009’s best records when all is said and done. Although painting from a sonic pallet that invokes easy comparisons to Arcade Fire or The National, their music is infused with a countryish warmth and pop sensibility that is distinctly their own. Beating Heart with it’s shuffling rhythm and reverb laden textural flourishes of glockenspiel and percussion is one of those addictive songs you can listen to ten times in a row and not tire of at all. Or, check out It Doesn’t Matter, where the melodies and vocals intertwine and skitter about on top of a driving, hypnotic, drum dance. Amazing stuff and I for one can’t wait to hear the whole album when it’s completed. - Bag Of Songs


"In Grenada - Break"

Way back around February, Philadelphia’s In Grenada sent me a few early demo songs from a new album they were working on. Since then it has been one of my most anxiously awaited releases this year. That album, now titled Break recently made it’s way to my inbox and it has been well worth the wait. Ten songs that fully deliver on the promise of those early demos. Music filled with powerful percussive rhythms, melodic reverb laden vocals and plenty of textural flourishes like acoustic guitar and xylophone. Much like the Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible or Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness On the Edge of Town, there’s an underlying sense of spirituality woven throughout the feel of the songs and the imagery of the lyrics that really ties the record together nicely. It’s one of my favorite releases so far this year. Here’s a couple songs to give you a taste, one of my personal highlights, the hypnotic rhythms of It Doesn’t Matter and the majestic sounding There’s a Change. Watch for an upcoming release date and be sure to head out and catch their equally amazing live show when they take the stage Wednesday, December 9th at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia. - Bag Of Songs


Discography

Break

Photos

Bio

In Grenada was born from the ashes of Philadelphia’s premier ukulele indie-rock band, Movable Type, during the summer of 2007. Now, they make their presence felt with their debut release, Break.

Stuck with a few left over songs and an environmental conscience, songwriter/instrumentalist Jesse Leyh plucked the tunes from the trash and saved them for his compost heap. Over the next two years those first few songs grew in the fertile environs of a home studio, watered by a monsoon of shifting and breaking relationships and the pressures of finding a new place in the world and life.

Beginning in 2008 a fleshy incarnation of In Grenada was assembled for playing shows and being seen on the street. Ranging from four to seven people depending on the season and the show, In Grenada continued to grow into “one of the most tuneful, fired-up pop groups Philly currently has.”

In the fall of 2009, the recorded song count began to approach 20 strong, and it became clear that the ripest fruits needed to be picked. Self-releasing September 28th, Break is the labor of all those fruits. The 10 songs that comprise Break draw inspiration equally from the pain of country, the joy of pop and the attitude of rock ‘n’ roll, and those inspirations are represented musically in layers of cowboy-harmonicas, shimmering guitars and thundering toms.