A Storytelling New Single from Grand Nathaniel
Grand Nathaniel returns with a new single that blends elements of in-depth storytelling with recollection, combining that with pop overtones, cinematic synthesizers, and acoustic guitars.
This single becomes very engaging, mostly because of the storytelling factor. It's a song about being out in the forest, deep in the woods, and running into a monster.
"The Monster" gets into how he was being chased through the woods by a monster, and he would have to do things he didn't want to do to get away. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to leave the forest because he loves it there, but he'll leave if he has to.
As the track unfolds, you can hear how the monster is encountered not once but twice. The first time, the monster turns and runs away, and the second time, he's being chased.
This is such an interesting way to describe the situation because it unfolds almost like a horror flick. And it also carries with it that sense of eeriness due to the instrumentation.
The synthesizers do give that cinematic feel as they are kind of 80s horror synths, and I love that because it adds such a great layer of depth to the track itself.
The Acoustics are double-tracked and thick. They really give off a great acoustic pop vibe as they bop along, and the vocals also have a lot of character, not just because of the storyline, but also because of how they're delivered and performed.
By the time you're halfway through the song, you're fully in. You want to know how the story ends.
As you hear the rest of the story, you find yourself singing along with that chorus.
It's a very hooky and catchy part of the song, not really over the top, but just perfectly balanced and with a great melody that you just find yourself naturally singing along with by maybe the second or third time around.
The story begins with him recalling the monster in the woods from a few years ago; but ends with him going back to those woods again in the present day and finding out that the forest he was in is now closed.
Maybe they were trying to drive out the monster, or maybe they were trying to kill it.
The final chorus changes. That last chorus is more about the monster and how he doesn't want to see it bleed or die. He doesn't want to see it get chased away.
So, this brings in a sense of innocence as well.
That final course looks at the monster as something alive and has emotion of its own. He doesn't want to see bad things happen to it because maybe he was the one that was invading the monster's natural habitat and environment.
That was the monster's home. Perhaps it doesn't deserve to be driven away or even worse.
That change of emotion is like an arc in the narrator's character.
After spending a few years remembering being chased through the forest by a monster, there is a slight change of heart. Perhaps he was remembering things a little differently than they actually happened.
It's really in-depth. I love how the tale gets told in such great detail but with a bunch of personal attributes attached to it.
It's been a long time since I've heard a song give you that much storyline with a great depth of character throughout it.
This was such a cool single. It's a little outside the box, but I love songs that are able to tell Tales the way this one does.
As I mentioned earlier, the courses are awesome; there's a lot about the song that is kind of acoustic pop, and that is always super evident, because the song is that blend of color and the story gives you hints of a dark overtone.
For me, this was just a brilliant combination. It's great to have a song that gets you hooked through the story but also through the music and instrumentation as well.
The accompanying music video doesn't outstanding job of setting the tone and the mood for the track as well.
It gives you great visuals for the story and showcases the artist's character on screen as well.
This was a really inventive single, and you should definitely check it out.
Upon watching the video and listening to the single myself, I know I wanted to have a chat with Grand Nathaniel to talk about the track and where it actually came from, along with more.
So, while you check this track out, have a read through our interview with the artist below.
Remember where you heard it first.
What inspired this track and what is it about exactly?
There is an absolutely beautiful nature park just a couple miles from my house here in Lafayette Louisiana. I was spending a ton of time there while I was making the Lonely Wanderer film. In late 2023 I encountered a wild hog on one of the trails. I was terrified but it ran away from me. The next one that I encountered charged at me from out of the woods. Over the course of a couple years the infestation rendered most of the park unvisitable at least by me, as I'm kind of a little scaredy-cat. So while this supposed enemy took some freedom and beauty away from me, there is still some ambiguity to how I feel about its eradication. I think that makes for some interesting poetry, imagery, and allegory.
Can you give us some of your bigger musical influences?
I was born in 1977. My father, a professional keyboardist, got me hooked on Steely Dan very early on. My mother is a lover of music, and an incredible singer. She loves the Beatles and Dan Fogelberg so I've loved the Beatles and Dan Fogelberg from the start. Her second husband was an avid vinyl collector and bassist, and he introduced me to Queen, Pink Floyd, Styx, Blue Oyster Cult, etc. Recently I've been listening to a lot of Roxy Music, Stephen Stills, Alan Parsons, Bruce Cockburn,Thin Lizzy, Frankie Rose etc. But my favorite music above all else is the ambient work of Harold Budd and the like. I’m kind of all over the place. Good is good in my book!
Did you record this at a bigger studio, or a home DAW?
At 19 years old in 1997, I got a job as an assistant engineer in a big time major label studio that happens to be located just outside of Lafayette in Milton Louisiana. I learned recording there, but I didn't make it through the collapse of that industry. So I did record this at home, but I do have some innate skills to back me up. I have some real basic pro-sumer gear, nothing fancy. The only interesting piece of gear that I have is a Juno 106 from about 1984 And that is of course featured on this track.
What are you performing on this track?
On this track I'm playing guitar, I'm singing lead, and I actually am playing the keys on this even though it's inspired by my newly recruited keyboard player Clint Rhodes. We're just working him into the group so I didn't get him in to actually play this line, although he came up with the idea for it. I just sort of knocked it out. He'll be playing with us live and hopefully will be playing more on recordings in the future. We have Jessie Devillier on backup vocals, Brycen Gaddis on drums, and David Crochet on bass. This project was not supposed to be a band, but here we are. It has developed organically over several years.
Are you performing live at all?
We are! We actually have a show booked at a place here in Lafayette called Artmosphere coming up on May 29th the day of the release.
How did creating music all begin for you? When did you know this was something you wanted to be doing?
I don't think there was ever a second thought about creating music! To me it's just something that you do. I was raised by musicians who were raised by musicians. I must have started playing the piano when I was about 5 years old, and I would make up songs then. I'm still making up songs now.
Do you feel like this song came out as you hoped?
I love the way this song came out! I feel like myself and this current group are in a very good spot where we can create very swiftly and there's not a lot of over-thinking, like on the last project. This track is actually an edit of the second and third take of this song from the first night that we started working on it together. I just made sure that it was a complete thought before I presented it to the band and I think it came out great!
What would you say people can expect from this single?
My goal with this new method of getting in the room, learning a new song, and playing it until it sounds good is hopefully more like the way music used to be created. We're not playing to a click, we're not doing a lot of overdubs. I'm hoping to really capture a moment…a “record”, if you will, of something that happened in a room. I would say…expect to hear what it sounds like when a band of musicians who really love each others’ company get together and create something new.
What's next for you?
My ambitious plan is to put out two singles a year in this exact same fashion! I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with that schedule but I'm going to try. Lonely Wanderer took me 5 years to create. Most of that time was spent learning how to make decent videos, so that time wasn't wasted but I no longer want to spend too long creating something and have it kind of lose its momentum.
Any message to fans of the music out there?
I appreciate every listen and every view that I get. It's not a lot but that's not why I do this. I know that I have a few wonderful, diehard fans out there and I can't thank you enough for the motivation and inspiration to continue to do this into the twilight years of my life.
