Grandaddy has announced a new studio album Blu Wav set for release on February 16th, 2024 via Dangerbird. As a preview, bandleader Jason Lytle has shared the lead single “Watercooler.”
Lytle got the idea for Blu Wav — a mash-up of “bluegrass” and “new wave” — while he was driving through the Nevada desert listening to the classic country radio station. Patti Page’s “Tennessee Waltz” came on, and Lytle found himself mesmerized, thinking about what a classic bluegrass waltz would sound like with a new wave spin. It marks the first time Grandaddy have fully embraced a true country sound, while still staying true to their lo-fi roots.
Complete with a healthy dose of pedal steel (a Grandaddy first), “Watercooler” has the same sort of sublime melody you might hear on a classic country radio station, though it’s doused in some more contemporary, dreamy production. Its lyrics poke fun at Lytle’s dating history, often being the “rock guy” in opposition to his more corporate partners: “Most of my relationships have involved girls who worked in office settings,” he says in a press release. “This song is about the end of one, or perhaps a few, of those relationships.”
Pre-orders for Blu Wav are ongoing. See its tracklist and artwork, and stream “Watercooler,” below.
Back in 2o20, Grandaddy released a special box set reissue of their sophomore album The Sophtware Slump to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Blu Wav Artwork:
Blu Wav Tracklist:
01. Blu Wav
02. Cabin in My Mind
03. Long as I’m Not the One
04. You’re Going to Be Fine and I’m Going to Hell
05. Watercooler
06. Let’s Put this Pinto on the Moon
07. On a Train or Bus
08. Jukebox App
09. Yeehaw Ai in the Year 2025
10. Ducky, Boris and Dart
11. East Yosemite
12. Nothin’ to Lose
13. Blu Wav Buh Bye
