The Grownup Noise have been around the block – their first self-titled album came out back in 2007, and since then (quoting their Spotify bio here) they’ve had numerous sold-out shows, 7 national tours (many in a veggie-oil powered conversion van), and shared stages with everyone from Tommy Stinson of The Replacements, Aimee Mann, Counting Crows, and Evan Dando to Thao With The Get Down Stay Down, and even comedian Patton Oswalt. Their new single, “See You in the Hall,” shows a band that’s carried all that experience into something sharp, heartfelt, and effortlessly memorable.
The track starts strong with a full-band impact and beautiful vocal harmonies singing, “I don’t need anything at all,” with the rhythm continuing on the second beat to create this subtle moving surprise. It settles into a groove with a fuzzy bass and vocals that remind me of late-2000s Death Cab for Cutie. The drums really carry the power of the song, especially when the ride cymbal comes in and lifts the energy.
The band describes the track perfectly:
“With sharp humour and a bittersweet ache, ‘See You in the Hall’ pays tribute to the archetype nearly everyone remembers: the friend, crush, or wild card who seemed to operate on a different frequency… They were fun, absurd, irreverent — the person who had witty comebacks for teachers and actually read books… And when you finally did fall for them, they held you at arm’s length because you were too needy. But somehow… it was still worth it.”
Musically, they add:
“The track channels that mix of longing and youthful chaos with dynamic shifts and a pulsing sense of motion anchored by drummer Kyle Crane (Neko Case, Rufus Wainwright).”
One of my favourite parts of the song is these little production swells that pop up throughout – they sneak in and out and do a lot of lifting without drawing too much attention to themselves. In the middle of the track, we’re introduced to these beautiful strings that take the song somewhere refreshing for this style of music, which already blends indie rock, shoegaze, and indie pop in a really natural way.
If I have a quarrel, it’s mainly that the song feels like it could’ve been a bit longer. There’s a lot happening in under three minutes, and it would be great to hear how they might stretch some of these ideas further. But my favourite part overall is those rhythmic, full-band impacts that create this perfect bed of dynamics for the smooth vocals to lie atop.
7/10
Written by John Drifter (drifting.) (IG: @drifting.musically)
