Griffy is a psychedelic, power pop/rock trio from Bloomington, Indiana. They released I, Amplify back in 2019 and are back with St. Astronaut. The band makes accessible rock songs that touch a number of sub-genres.
They get going with the title track “St. Astronaut” and this contains one of my favorite riffs on the album. I thought the verse grabbed my attention with a steady bass and lush guitar patterns. There’s a sense the song is building but is also in no rush. The bridge and chorus hit and distorted guitar enters into the mix. There’s a big anthemic and ’80s sounding vibe at this point. However they go back into the verse with a little more energy next time around. All around a great opener. “Proximity” Is a very catchy tune. The chorus in particular is very sing-along worthy. I was also getting an Americana flavor on this song. “Zeus” is a little more aggressive and has more of an attitude. I liked how reverb was used in this song with the guitar which creates a whirlwind of ominous sounds. “Drop Dead City” is very different and starts with what sounds like a transmission, ambient guitar and occasional drums. It’s cinematic sounding but does explode into an epic section like I was expecting. “Quiet Parts” was a highlight. It’s also arguably the most single-worthy song that combines elements of post-punk and feels dark in a good way. “Told You So” was giving me ballad vibes but also had some beautiful atmospheric moments. “Passing Through” is another catchy one and sort of combines a lot of styles the band explored on previous songs. “Truth = Fire” is the most raw sounding song that gets closest to punk. They follow that up with “Eternally” which is very atmospheric with an infectious chorus. There is another highlight called “No More Words” which has a great beat and one of the best vocal performances. They close with “St. Astronaut (Reprise)” which is a more electronic sounding than the original. My only critique is the album felt a little scattered at times in regards to the direction. There were times I was settling into a certain mood and then the changes in tone and style pulled me out of it. I would say this was pretty slight all things considered. Overall, this is a good album with some very well-written songs. The band sounded great and I felt the chemistry between the members. Take a listen.
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